GrimmFall: Shinkalion Rising
by Titanic X
Summary: As Japan falls under constant Grimm attack by bigger Grimm, a new project is set into motion. Using their greatest asset, Japan's finest craft a weapon to fight on an even footing against the massive Grimm. But when a new foe arrives and threatens the city of Tokyo, can these new Hunters save the city, and the world? Part of the GrimmFall Movie Series.
1. PROLOGUE

**_SOME TIME AGO..._**

_The fires burned while the rain lashed down from above._

_It had been a complete disaster._

_All around her she could see destruction._

_And in front of the assembled men and women lay their prey: a kaiju-like Grimm, codenamed Mothra._

_Smoke curled off its body as it disintegrated in the pouring rain. And Genki Sanban narrowed her eyes as she swept her sharp gaze around the battlefield._

_Buildings stood tall and proud, but these titans of the city bore battle wounds of their own, a mark of how ferocious the battle had been. And amongst them lay the bodies of both men and women, Faunus, Humans, and Mobians alike. Blood ran in rivers down the streets, oil from overturned cars slithered like black snakes through the cracks in the roads, and trees lay in splintered remains across the sidewalks._

_All in all, it was downright devastating._

_'_This... This is not good..._' Genki thought to herself as she sheathed her sword. '_Today we lost too many..._'_

_Her eyes hardened. '_Far too many lives... way more than in prior events..._'_

_She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, her fists clenching tightly at her sides. '_At this rate... Japan's Hunters will be wiped out!_'_

_"Lady Sanban?"_

_Genki's eyes snapped open as she heard the voice of one of her aides. She turned to face the man. "Yes, what is it?" she asked, becoming serious._

_Beside the aide stood another individual, and her eyes widened as she saw the emblem on his uniform. "You... You're...!"_

_The man nodded. "Yes. I am a member." His eyes flicked to her sword, and then back to her gaze. "I wish to speak to you on a matter of great importance."_

_"If you mean the recent Grimm attacks, then I am well aware," Genki said. "This is a grave matter indeed."_

_"I see. Then you are aware of how many lives we keep losing to these things," the man admitted. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. His shoulders shook. "My wife... She died at their hands..." He gritted his teeth in anger. "And there wasn't anything I could do to help!"_

_Genki stepped closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "I understand how you feel," she whispered. "Many have lost their lives, so it is hard for all here. Including me. Many of them I trained by my own hand. So to me, it feels like losing loved ones as well."_

_"I suppose it would, Lady Sanban," the man murmured as he rubbed his eyes. "But... the gist of it is... if this keeps up, we'll be in trouble... and the seal could break."_

_Now she understood where this was going. "I see. Sammael intends to break the seal on the main pool sealed within the mountain." Her eyes narrowed into mere slits. "This is troubling indeed."_

_"And I have a feeling that the next Grimm could very well be the one that dooms us all," the man said seriously. He touched the emblem on his uniform, right over his heart. "So, I have a radical idea..."_

_Genki's eyes widened the tiniest amount. "Oh? What is it?"_

_Here, the man's eyes hardened as he straightened up. "I propose a new project. One that can be of use to us. And give us a fighting edge against the Grimm that have been attacking us as of late!"_

_"I assume it will be like the Vist Foundation's Project: GUNDAM?" Genki asked. "Because if it is..."_

_"Sort of," the man admitted. "But it's also very different. We recently uncovered a surprising discovery off of Iwo Jima not too long ago, as you well recall. So..." He reached into his soaked uniform jacket and pulled out a tablet. "This is what I was proposing."_

_He handed it to Genki, and her eyes widened in pure shock at what was on it. "This is...!"_

_Her companion nodded. "Yes. It takes our greatest asset and turns it into our greatest weapon!"_

_Genki frowned as she pondered this. True it would be of use, but... what would the implications be? There were too many unknowns, and yet with the possibility of Sammael finally breaching the seal on the main Pool of Darkness beneath Mount Fuji looming closer every time there was an attack, what else could they do? Time was short, they had very few options for heavy firepower, and unlike many other cities, Japan's defenses were slowly falling behind. While they were still ahead in many other areas, in terms of heavy hitters, they were sorely lacking. Scotland possessed Scotty Blake as their main heavy hitter, and Britain was guarded by Big Ben. Major Glory watched over GrimmFall and the whole of America, while within Denver lurked the formidable Gundam, Joseph 'Dracon' Matthews, otherwise known as the Dragon of Denver. And of course, then Seattle had its own guardians in the form of the 'Ghost Ship' and its six 'War Men'. Plus there was the wanderer known as the Grimm Slayer, Omnimon and the Legendary Warriors. So Japan had a lot of catching up to do._

_Her eyes closed as she delved into her mind, trying to run through several scenarios. But all it came down to was one thing: defeat. Unless Japan had some real heavy hitters, they were out of the game. And without the Sword of the Emperor, well, what else could they do?_

_She finally opened her eyes. "What is your name, sir?" she asked._

_"My name is..." Here the man saluted. "My name is Hokuto Hayasagi."_

_"Very well. Mr. Hokuto, your project is under consideration. However, I must run it by the proper authorities first," Genki stated. "And if it is approved, I will assign the Anaheim Electronics division to construction of the proper equipment, gear, and systems."_

_Hokuto smiled, his cat ears flicking in relief. "Thank you, Lady Sanban..."_


	2. GENESIS

"AAAAGH!"

The last thing Dracon expected was to be blown back by the attack.

He landed flat on his back, his wings spread out to either side of him. A few of his fin funnels landed beside him on the ground, and he groaned as he struggled to push himself into a sitting position. "D...Dammit...!" he grunted.

The Gundam suddenly gasped as his radar blared in his head and he rolled to the side as Seph landed on the ground, his wings arching as he looked up, his eyes flashing silver before he launched himself off the ground for the enemy. He cried out as he fired off a blast of silvery energy from his hand, only to get it launched back at him. His eyes widened as his own attack exploded against landed on the ground, skidding to a stop beside Dracon.

A blur of white-blue caught Dracon off guard as he saw the form of Lobomon dash forward, his lightsabers flashing as he cut at one of the enemy's large legs, but his efforts got nowhere. A deep, robotic laugh echoed over the area as the enemy looked down upon him. Lobomon looked up and was shocked to see the red optical lens flaring before it fired off a blast of energy right for him. Lobomon leapt back, barely avoiding getting hit only due to his Digimon reflexes. He landed on the ground and skidded back, his red eyes locking onto the massive shape looming over them all.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHA! Do you see?! It's useless, fools!_" the voice of Dr. Robotnik cackled. "_No matter what you try, this machine will showcase the superiority of my genius! And not even Japan's Hunters, let alone that Demon Blade of the East, can stop it!_"

Dracon glanced up, and his reactor leapt into his throat at the sight of the large foot of the enemy looming over them, ready to squash them like the insects they were. "Oh... Glob...!" he whispered.

There was no way even _his_ beam barrier would keep them safe. Dr. Robotnik had thought ahead on everything. His latest achievement was something not even they could defeat. And two of them were some of the strongest warriors in the world.

They were doomed.

Dracon dimmed his optics as he braced for the inevitable defeat.

The _last_ thing he expected was to hear a loud explosion. His optics flashed back to their violet hue as he glanced up, and he swore they widened at the sight of a large blast of green energy coming from nowhere. The robot staggered back, its leg burned at the ankle joint.

"**WHAT?!**" Robotnik's voice was filed with rage as the robot managed to regain its footing, but barely.

Dracon cast his gaze around the battlefield, trying to find the source of the beam that saved their lives.

"This has gone far enough!" a deep male voice bellowed.

All the combatants looked up, and Dracon gasped as a figure unlike any other he had seen landed atop a building, silhouetted against the sun.

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: PROJECT SKL_**

_Project SKL is the code name for a top secret military project that Japan's finest scientists, engineers, physicists and technicians have been working on in conjunction with Sanban Industries and the Japanese Self Defense Forces. Not much is known about its objectives or when it will even be completed, let alone what it is. All that the director and creator of it will say is that it is possible it could save Japan, and the world as a whole._

_Many theories have been speculated on, ranging from some kind of new Dust weapon to an anti-Grimm supersoldier, to even the most outlandish theories such as an attempt to contact aliens or even to use magic to banish them._

_No one has come forth to deny or confirm these theories._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Many theories always abound about strange projects. And sometimes they are based in truth. But for the most part, conspiracy theories tend to gain traction, especially amongst those who believe in them and try to promote them. This leads to a distrust of established sciences, facts, and experiences. And that in turn can lead to divisions, distrust in people and institutions dedicated to facts and history. To protect the truth, one must be willing to stand up for it. People need to be able to think critically, try to see the facts from both sides, and then decide which they believe in. Trusting in facts has led to some great advancements in science, culture, military, literature, and even the arts. So, decide what you want to believe, not what someone _wants_ you to believe."

The screen flickered before displaying a shadowy emblem, going dark soon after.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1 - GENESIS**

**LOG ENTRY: 89-10X**

**Hokuto Hayasugi.**

**So far things have not gone as planned.**

**Our efforts have led to several dismal failures.**

**I've met with several key scientists and engineers, all of them funded by Sanban Industries and recruited from the best institutions around the country, including some from the Vist Foundation, in an effort to try and decipher the reasoning behind our failures.**

**A few have called my project outrageous and risky, even downright dangerous considering what we are trying to do, but I have argued constantly that it is our best bet, as not even Genki Sanban can be everywhere at once. With the retirement of Sam-R-I, that leaves Japan with very few heavy hitters. And the one behind those Grimm attacks is taking advantage of this. So it is of the utmost importance we try and get this project up and running as soon as possible.**

**The only trouble is we can't seem to even get it to work.**

**Sure the theory is sound, but until we can fully decipher the runes on the metallic entity we found buried deep beneath the sands of Iwo Jima, there is little we can do. We have several units already chosen to be modified, but as I have said, we're lacking crucial information on how to actually perform the task needed to make this work.**

**One of the Vist Foundation engineers proposed a system similar to the one used to create Dracon, but I declined, stating that it cannot be permanent, but has to be temporary so as to not overstrain the engines and batteries of the units in question. Each one can only run for a specific time, but there are plans already in the works for an ungraded unit or two. That can wait, though.**

**Our first obstacle is to actually get the control system to work.**

**I can only hope there is a breakthrough soon.**

**For Japan's sake... and the world...**

* * *

Hokuto was not pleased.

Especially as his latest attempts had failed.

He gritted his teeth as he whirled around and punched the wall.

"Dammit! No matter what we do, it's always the same!" he snarled. His ears twitched as he stood up, facing the project hangar.

Hokuto's gaze landed on the six sleek shapes of his work, and he sighed. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all... I mean... it's not even feasible at this rate..."

"That may seem to be the case..." Genki Sanban's voice said from behind him. "But just because one does not climb a mountain the first time does not mean they should give up."

His eyes widened and he whirled to face her, bowing. "Lady Sanban! I didn't expect you to show up!" he said quickly.

"I have figured that you might be running into some issues," the Lady of Sanban Industries mused. "Especially as since your first has not turned out as you expected." Her gaze flicked over to a corner where a large shape lay slumped down, and beside it was a limp figure. Medical staff were already rushing to the man's side, checking him for any injuries or health complications.

"I know..." Hokuto muttered. "It's just... we seem to be missing a bunch of crucial information on the entity we found... and even the efforts of the Vist Foundation weren't enough... This is the third failed test subject in a week. And perhaps the first fatality of this whole thing."

Genki's eyes narrowed. "So he perished?"

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yes. His very life was snuffed out the moment the device kicked in. The technician from the Foundation said it would work. But now he's examining the data to see where we went wrong," Hokuto explained. "I just hope we can get some sort of answers here..."

Genki nodded. "Yes. It is most troubling, seeing as how there is a dire chance that _he_ could launch another attack at any time." She was silent for a moment before she continued. "I can understand your desperation to get this completed. But even with every ounce of time and money we put into it, there is a very grave chance we may not have it deployed in time for the attack when it comes. And things like this take time. If you push, it won't succeed. There will be an increased chance for failure, and the last thing we need is for such a failure to occur."

"Then what else are we supposed to do?!" Hokuto shouted. "We're running out of time! You said so yourself!"

"I know. But rushing is not going to make this move along any faster," Genki cautioned. She turned to look back at him. "So we need to start looking over the data to see what we can do to prevent another loss like this one."

Hokuto knew she was right. They had to take this seriously, but at the same time try to keep in mind the severity of their situation. At any moment, an attack could come that could possibly wipe out whatever forces the government sent to take down the Grimm. That was why he was so determined to get this completed as soon as possible.

But what else could they do?

Hokuto walked back over to his desk and scattered the tablets and papers littering the surface until he pulled out a small journal. He opened it as Genki walked over to join him.

She peered over his shoulder at the runes and letters scribbled in the pages. "I can see you have been at work trying to decipher the runes," she mused.

"Yes. But so far there's been nothing. No luck," he said with a sigh. He tossed the book aside and buried his head in his hands. "I just can't do it!"

Genki leaned down and picked up the book before she hummed, running a few thoughts through her head. "Perhaps there is a chance yet," she remarked.

"How?!" Hokuto roared, whipping his head around to face her. "No matter what I tried - I spent weeks trying to decipher that thing, even before I came up with this project! And I made very little progress! What makes you think you can-" He was cut off by her hand being raised. Her eyes were closed as she did this.

"You fail to realize who I am, Hokuto Hayasugi," she said, opening her eyes. They glinted in the harsh lighting of the hangar just outside the observation deck on which they stood. "I am Genki Sanban, head of Sanban Industries. And my husband is the Prime Minister of Japan. We have connections in many fields, including the study of the ancient ages past." She lowered her hand. "I have a few friends who could help on deciphering these notes, but you must focus on trying to get this working. Forget the control apparatus for now. Focus on another aspect of it. Do not think this has to be your project alone, Hokuto. It is _our_ project."

Hokuto stared for a moment before he paused. "I... Are you sure that you can get that deciphered?" he asked softly.

The Demon Blade of the East nodded. "Yes. I will. As I said, for now, focus on another aspect of it. This way, when the time comes, we can work on the control apparatus."

The cat Faunus sighed as he ran a hand through his brown hair. "Okay. I will. I don't like it, but I will do it."

Genki smiled. "Good."

She turned and proceeded to walk out, but not before looking out the window of the observation deck at the lifeless man in the hangar as he was wheeled out on a stretcher. A frown crossed her face as she watched with a calculating gaze. The very thought anyone would go to such lengths was beyond her. But then again, people were desperate for any sort of edge these days. And she couldn't blame them. In all honesty, she too was desperate for something to help stem the tide and give them a fighting chance to bolster the seal on the main pool.

She closed her eyes as she turned away, heading out of the room towards the elevator.

The doors closed behind her, exposing a seal unlike any other on the doors. The emblem resembled the front part of a _shinkansen_ bullet train, with a wing on the side of it and behind it was a reticle. This was the mark of the Shinkansen Defense Institute, a recent group formed in the aftermath of the Mothra Incident to try and develop the next generation of combat machines designed to fight against such beasts. Of course, their project was completely unknown to the outside world, and even more importantly, only the Ministry of Defense knew of it.

That meant that they had access to the latest Dust technology and weaponry developed for the defense forces.

Genki didn't like keeping people, especially those that could provide assistance to this endeavor, in the dark, but at the behest of Hokuto, she hadn't said a word, because of the great danger that _he_ could learn about it. As it stood, with those Seers, it was a big risk to even be working on such a thing to begin with. One could never tell when a Seer was about.

Her gaze drifted down to the journal she held in her hand and she opened it, flipping through its pages as she walked. She could already see where Hokuto had made efforts to decipher them, and he actually had gotten a bit done. But it wasn't enough. The efforts had also yielded some mistranslations, she figured, so it was best to have an expert look at it. And what better team than the Secret Saturdays? Their studies into the ancient languages of the Forgotten Age were sure to be of use.

But then again, they did have a mission of their own, and she didn't want to bother them.

She narrowed her eyes as she pondered another few choices.

And one came to her mind after a few minutes.

Now, how to get in contact with him...?

* * *

**LOG ENTRY 89-X11**

**Hokuto Hayasugi.**

**Lady Sanban has been of immense help.**

**Her suggestion to focus on another aspect of the project has allowed things to proceed smoothly. I have taken the chance to devise a new way to allow the units to shift from their default to full battle forms. It actually is quite ingenious, as it takes the components of the default form and rearranges them into a humanoid chassis. But one unique trait I noticed is that the form that it takes always has the nose of its default form as the chest. That has given me an idea for a few to have a secret weapon secreted there.**

**I have yet to come up with a name for it, but it is possible that this could also be a surprise feature in upcoming units.**

**Another aspect I was able to get working on was the power supply.**

**As the units all have batteries, we decided to enhance their operation time by augmenting it with cyan Dust. We also rerouted the power of the batteries to the weapons, thrusters, limbs and servos of the humanoid forms. The main driving force will act as the beating heart of the humanoid units.**

**We also delved into weapons designs, and came up with a bunch of unique weapons. As each unit will be designed for different scenarios and terrain in Japan, they will need to be equipped accordingly. So we've started designing weapons packages for each one. Usually an extra weapon or two, but in some cases, the weapon equipped to each unit in question could be boosted. That was the case for two, so we installed said weapons onto the units.**

**The final part was trying to figure out a defensive measure. We knew they needed to be guarded, but shields just wouldn't cut it.**

**And the control apparatus was another issue that needed to be worked out.**

**Thankfully, there was some good news not even two months later...**

* * *

TWO MONTHS LATER

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

"_WHAT?!_ He got back with you?!" Hokuto shouted.

Genki nodded as she sipped her tea. "Yes. He has provided a list of every rune and corresponding letter in his notes. And the pages have been translated to the best of his ability." She opened her eyes and met Hokuto's blue eyes with her own grey ones. "It is not complete, but it is almost. A few words remain undeciphered, but none of them pertain to what you seek."

The cat Faunus was shocked. "You... You..." He got to his knees and bowed. "I cannot thank you enough, Lady Sanban!"

"It is nothing." She lowered her cup. "I believe this will allow the units' control apparatus to be fixed, since that has been an issue that has bothered you for some time."

Hokuto sat up straight. "It has."

The Demon Blade of the East closed her eyes and leaned back a bit in a thoughtful manner. "Tell me. Has there been any progress on the units?"

Here the man nodded. "There has been," he began. "We made a ton of progress in other areas." He reached for the briefcase beside him and pulled it onto the table. He opened it and reached inside.

The sheaf of papers he pulled out was a bit messy, but that mattered little. What these papers contained would secure Japan's future. He handed them to her.

Genki took the papers and set down her cup. She began to sift through them and her eyes widened the tiniest bit. Her gaze flicked over each spec, detail, armament, and additional note written into the margins. Hokuto felt his heart pounding in his chest as she hummed to herself. Would she approve?

Her eyes narrowed before she bowed her head and handed the papers back to him.

"Hokuto... your work is truly astonishing," she began. "What you have managed to accomplish in a mere two months is beyond expectations for anyone; even with a division like Anaheim backing you up, it should have taken much longer."

She lifted her eyes to meet his. "This is what we needed." Then she grew serious. "And I have a feeling it has more to do with your wife's demise than anything, am I correct?"

The man before her nodded. "Yes, Lady Sanban." He lowered his eyes, feeling tears pricking at their edges. "After my wife died, I began to see just how bad things were getting, and after Sam-R-I retired, we've fallen behind in who can come to take down the Kaiju Grimm. I know you are busy, and many of our other heavy hitters have retired or been killed in combat. We..." He gritted his teeth as tears streaked down his cheeks. "I wanted to give us a fighting chance..." Then he clenched his fists in his lap. "And it doesn't help matters that Satyra has established a chapter here in Tokyo!"

Now Genki grasped where this was going. "And you fear the worst, yes?" she asked.

Hokuto shifted on his knees before continuing. "Yes. And I fear they may try to recruit my son... because of his knowledge of the Shinkansen and its stations." His eyes were hard as he felt a low growl come up in his throat. "Everything we've done to secure equal rights for Faunus could very well be undone in just a matter of months if they start making attacks! And it could draw the Grimm to Japan's capital!"

The Demon Blade of the East closed her eyes in contemplation. "And it is still because of his mother's death that he has become more serious, correct?"

"And more doubtful of the future," Hokuto explained. "That damned terrorist group could use that to their advantage and try to twist his thinking, especially at this age when he's started exploring new things!" He looked down at his shaking hands. "It's all because of them that things are thrown back two steps for every one we take forwad. If this keeps up, it could very well be the end of equal rights for all Faunus... even in America..."

His hostess nodded. "I can see where you are heading with this. You wish to deny them your son and his knowledge... I can see why you wanted this completed as soon as possible, given the rumors..."

The cat Faunus nodded. "So, Lady Sanban, I would please like to have the information you deciphered." He bowed his head.

Genki reached into a small case beside her table and pulled out a flash drive. "This flash drive contains all the information that has been deciphered. It also includes the corresponding runes and letters, so you should have no trouble piecing it together." She slid it across the table towards him.

Hokuto took it gratefully. "Thank you, Lady Sanban!"

He stood up and bowed.

With the flash drive in hand, he walked out of the main meeting room and into the waiting area.

Now he could finish it.

He sat down and pulled his computer out of his briefcase and started it up. Once that was finished, he inserted the flash drive and went to work analyzing its contents.

He was actually impressed by how much had been deciphered. Hokuto ran through it, his eyes roving over the data and taking it in. The information was indeed pertaining to the control apparatus, and his eyes widened as he realized just how deeply entwined his project and the candidates needed to be. And actually, it was very disturbing on so many levels. There was no way he was about to enact such a procedure on anyone who volunteered or was selected! Why the ancients had to do such a thing was beyond him, but he was not about to delve too deeply into it.

Right now he needed an alternative. But the tech that had been used to create Dracon was not compatible for this project.

"And back to square one...!" he muttered, burying his face in his hands. "Nothing I do seems to be working...! Is this punishment for something I did wrong?! Glob... please... just help me get this damn project up and running!" he moaned.

Of course, he had no idea that it would be in operation, and sooner than he expected...

* * *

**LOG ENTRY 89-X12**

**The device is set.**

**This is perhaps the biggest obstacle that lingers in our path now.**

**Project SKL is almost complete.**

**The six units have been heavily modified and outfitted with the proper systems and technology.**

**All we need now is for the test to begin.**

**The only issue is the extent to which the driver will be wired into their unit.**

**I can't even envision such a device, least of all how it could even be considered standard for such a machine. I... I hate it. I hate the very idea that the driver's brain has to have wires inserted into the very organ itself, as well as into their flesh, nerves, and muscles. It's almost like their bodies have to be somehow physically connected to the machine's systems in order to get it to work.**

**The technicians in charge of the development of the device have said it could work, but the strain will be enormous on the driver's body and mind.**

**That means that anyone who undergoes the procedure will not be able to do much of anything. According to the medical experts here at the SDI, such a tremendous amount of data would be enough to cause heart failure. In fact, that's what happened the last time we even tried it. That was enough for me. I asked the Vist Foundation workers if they had any other ideas other than using the device that was described in the ancient text Genki's friend deciphered. The man said there was a possibility, but it was still considered experimental and even downright taboo.**

**When I questioned what it was, he answered and explained that it was a variation of the technology used to transfer Dracon's mind into his Gundam frame. But since it was the mind and not the very essence needed to generate an Aura, that left it unusable.**

**But it was one of the technicians that came up with a theory: what if the device hadn't worked because the individual wasn't suited for the unit in question?**

**Actually, that never even crossed my mind until now.**

**Now that it has, however, I decided to test a little theory of my own. What if we were to reverse engineer the device used to transfer the mind... and allow it to transfer the person's very Aura and therefore their _soul_ into their assigned unit?**

**We chose to give it a test run, and much to our surprise, it worked. But there was another aspect that came up. Studying the data later that week proved to have uncovered another factor that we hadn't taken into consideration when developing these machines.**

**It was dubbed the compatibility factor. In short, whomever was assigned to the unit in question had to have a compatibility rating of at least, according to the Vist Foundation techies, seventy percent or higher. Any lower and the unit would not be as effective in combat. So we had to devise a test to try and find people who were compatible with the units we built.**

**And it just so happened that one of them was close to me.**

**But more on that later.**

**The final component was set.**

**Now... we just had to run it by Kani Sanban and see what he thought...**

* * *

KENTAI BUILDING

MEETING ROOM

* * *

FOUR WEEKS LATER

The atmosphere was tense as the group sat inside the main meeting room.

Hokuto shifted as he looked at the papers held in his hands. He licked his lips to try and moisten them as he was nervous.

Beside him sat the chief engineer on his project, a spunky old turtle Faunus named Kintoki Odawara. His body may have been old, but he was still an imposing figure. His shell gleamed in the light of the sun as he sat close to one of the windows. His arms were folded across his chest and his white mustache twitched as he sniffed a bit.

Off to his other side was one of the Vist Foundation technicians, a tiger Mobian by the name of Pandora Tyson, named after the Greek mythological figure. She was not as well built than her companions, but she made up for it with her agility and her Semblance known as Tiger's Claw. And it also helped she had dabbled in a little bit of Aura manipulation and studied how to transfer it to a lifeless object, thus making it alive. At least, in theory.

All three were unsure if Kani would even approve of this project. But in truth, they needed all the funding they could get if it was to go off without a hitch.

Hokuto reached up to the necklace he wore in memory of his late wife, Sakura Hayasugi. He felt bad about not having taken Huntsman training and instead working for the Japan Railways Group. If he had taken training instead of messing around with the Shinkansen, then maybe... just maybe...

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the doors opening and he sat up, straightening his tie and suit jacket before assuming a professional posture.

Kani Sanban entered the room a few minutes later, the doors hissing shut behind him. His eyes were closed as he walked over to the table and sat down across from the trio.

"So. I have heard from my wife of your project. But she did not tell me exactly what it was. I was hoping you could enlighten me," he said as he lifted his gaze and opened his eyes.

Hokuto nodded. "Yes, sir." He held out the papers to the Prime Minister. "Everything is in these reports."

Kani took them and started to examine them as Kintoki began his explanation. "To put it simply, Mr. Sanban, this young man has come up with some hooligan scheme to use our biggest asset and turn it into a weapon of some kind." He pursed his lips as he pondered what to say next. "And actually, while I may not really enjoy doing such a thing, it makes sense in the long term, especially as someone may want to break down the seal, according to Lady Sanban."

"The idea is very simple, sir," Pandora added, "as Japan is also running out of powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses, we are in dire need of some new heavy hitters. The retirement of Sam-R-I is unfortunate, as we could use his help if the seal is to be broken beneath Mount Fuji."

Kani's brows furrowed as he heard this, and he nodded. "I agree. My wife is a strong warrior, but she can only do so much, as we have both our holdings and position to protect from both internal and external adversaries, no matter who they may be. But to be dealing with Grimm the size of the mythical Kaiju is something that troubles everyone as much as it does us." He lifted his gaze from the papers briefly to scan over the trio. "And I assume this project is designed to combat that kind of a threat?"

Hokuto nodded. "Yes, sir!"

The Prime Minister looked back down at the papers before he closed his eyes and handed them back to him. "I must admit, it is ingenious, as well as dangerous. But you do make a compelling case for such a thing, as recent casualty lists for Kaiju Grimm have been climbing since they crawled out of the ocean fifteen years ago. And now that they are the size of buildings, it is of the utmost importance to secure any advantage we can get," he admitted. "But it is still a risk. And I assume you have plans for when to use these new units?"

All three nodded.

"Then let us hear it," Kani said.

"We plan to use them when a Kaiju Grimm shows up," Pandora started, "and we already have an asset in place. We have had, ever since 2001, a satellite in orbit that has the ability to fire a containment field to capture the Grimm in question. We call these containment barriers 'capture fields' because of what they are designed to do. And they can be expanded or contracted as the situation demands. But they are limited in how long they can remain functional for. So we usually send in two or three teams to take down the Grimm in question before they escape or before the field goes down.

"However, since the new Grimm have been showing up, we've been relying on more and more people to assist us, and there is a bit of a problem in that some of these Kaiju Grimm have been known to sap the field's strength, too. So in effect, the field is not as effective as we thought in that kind of situation."

She turned to Hokuto. "We've modified the field a bit to be able to allow the new units entry, but we aren't saying more than that."

The cat Faunus shifted as he ran a hand through his hair. "As for _where_ we plan to deploy them... well, we have a bit of a complication with that." He pulled a piece of paper from the sheaf in his hand and showed it to Kani. "As you can see from the design, the default form is limited on what it uses for transportation. That is where we have issues. They also need to be close to designated stations so as to be deployed swiftly."

Kani closed his eyes and tented his fingers in front of his face. "I see. That is an issue. Especially given the circumstances at hand."

He opened his eyes. "And I assume you want me to provide financial assistance to this program, do you not, even though it's being run by the Ministry of Defense, The Vist Foundation, Sanban Industries and their Anaheim Electronics division?"

"Not financial aid. We're looking for your approval on this," Pandora explained. "To clarify, we need it to be signed off on you for approval, because it's technically illegal right now. It would be better for everyone to have it labeled as legal, but also be put under the label of secrecy for additional protection. This way, when we procure more parts, we can say it's for a top secret military endeavour created by the Japanese government."

Now Kani knew what they were getting at. "I see. This way, it won't be considered doing illegal transactions when it comes to this matter."

The threesome nodded. "Yes," Hokuto said. "Sir, we are-"

The Prime Minister held up a hand. "I understand how desperate people are these days for a symbol of hope. So, I will approve it, if only solely to buy time for the seal under Mount Fuji to be bolstered." Then he lowered his hand and narrowed his eyes. "But remember: this is a top secret project. So no one must be allowed to see it, let alone hear of it."

Kintoki nodded. "We know, sir," he said. "We'll take every precaution to do so."

The Prime Minister signed off on the project that afternoon, and the word was sent to his wife.

* * *

**LOG ENTRY 89-X13**

**Hokuto Hayasugi.**

**Project SKL was officially approved by the Prime Minister that evening.**

**At least now the transactions could be considered legal.**

**That was one other aspect that we had been concerned about. But that aside, we still had to go over the control apparatus for the new units.**

**After several weeks of intense study and reverse engineering, we had our first test subject picked and ready to go.**

**The first unit completed was brought out and he was hooked up to it. Within hours, we had it up and running. Then the test began. He was determined - through a simulation system designed to measure his aptitude for driving the unit - to have a compatibility rating of 82% at most. Not what we had been hoping for, but better than nothing.**

**The only drawback was that we had no idea how _painful_ the process was. I can still hear his screaming even now. But in the end, it was well worth it, because not even ten minutes later, the unit was moving on its own, adjusting its own limbs and trying to get a feel for them. The man was in a sort of stasis we discovered, but that was apparently a side effect of the process used.**

**The training proceeded smoothly, but then halfway through it cut out. We were baffled, but further analysis revealed that although he was compatible, his Aura wasn't at the right wavelength to match the frequency we needed. So we thanked him for his cooperation and sent him home with a little extra money as compensation for the shortened test run.**

**But the next month was when we got word.**

**Satyra was about to make a move.**

**And I became worried for my son.**

**Hayato...**

**Please... Just ignore them and run...**

**Glob watch over you...**


	3. RECRUIT

"So... did you find him?"

"Yes."

"I take it you have your plan ready then, my soldier?"

"Yes, sir. And once we have him... we can tear Japan apart at its seams!"

"Hold, my soldier. His knowledge is useful, but to stall the railways will only start the inevitable. In order to fully bring Japan to her knees, we need to strike at her beating heart as well."

"_WHAT!?_ You expect us to just-"

*_SLAP!_*

"I said hold! You will follow my plan, and only then will we gain results!"

*growls* "Yes, sir..."

"Excellent. Now, I wish for you to prepare to bring him into our ranks. You know who to bring, do you not?"

"Yes, sir. I am to bring _her_ because of her Semblance."

"Correct. And once he is under our control... there will be nothing that can stop us."

"But what of this... SKL Program or whatever?"

"Well... Then I guess we'll have an unexpected benefit of terminating it as well."

"I hope so. So this way, it will not threaten our ambition..."

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: HAYATO HAYASUGI_**

_Hayato Hayasugi is a young fourteen year old cat Faunus boy who attends Shinjuku Yamabuki High School along with his four of his other five friends. Hayato was born in 2007, and has lived his whole life in Tokyo in comparison to Omiya, which has become a hotspot of Satyra sympathizers and recruiters. His father and mother moved there before he was born to save him from the extremist views of the terrorist group._

_When he was thirteen years old, his mother died during a Grimm attack, leaving him with only his father and little sister as his remaining family. He became more serious and withdrawn, focusing more on his school work and subjects in comparison to his obsession with Japan's Shinkansen network. He still likes it, but he has become less interested in it._

**_AKITA OGA_**

_A fourteen year old human from the Akita region of Japan, his family moved to Tokyo to allow him to become more familiar with the Faunus and Mobian populace of Japan. He has a love for sweets, and he is very skilled in using a rifle._

_Akita is a skilled hunter, having been taught by his father and grandfather, when he lived in the mountains. He is calm and collected, always trying to see ahead and anticipate an enemy's movement._

**_TSURANUKI DAIMONYAMA_**

_A fourteen year old human, his family manages construction within his hometown of Kanazawa in the prefecture of Ishikawa. He may be strong and headstrong, but he has a good heart and will fight with all his strength to defend those he calls friend from any enemy, even Satyra._

_He has a tendency to favor using drills in combat._

**_SHINOBU TSUKIYAMA_**

_A fourteen year old human, he is a descendent of a prominent ninja clan going back hundreds of years based within the town of Yonezawa in the Yamagata prefecture. Like Akita, he lived in the woods with his family before a recent Grimm attack forced them to move to Tokyo for their own safety. He tends to be somewhat emotionless, but he still has his own likes and quirks._

_His skills in ninjutsu make him a formidable opponent, so enemies have to be wary of him. He has a grudge against Satyra for attacking his father, who is a fox Faunus._

**_RYUJI KIYOSU_**

_Ryuji Kiyosu is the eldest of the group at eighteen years of age. He is a skilled martial artist, having taken karate for years before a Satyra attack in his home town of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture caused his family to leave. Ryuji's younger brother and sister were among those injured, and while his mother lived, his father was severely wounded and is currently in a coma._

_Ryuji is currently considering taking up Huntsman training to be able to fight back effectively against Satyra's members._

**_MIKU HATSUNE_**

_A fourteen year old rabbit Faunus. Miku moved to Tokyo from her hometown of Hakodate City in Hokkaido Prefecture with her family as Satyra was making inroads there. She is a kind, sweet girl who is a skilled kendo practitioner._

_She tends to get motion sick when on ships or on swaying platforms; this tends to make her feel bad about herself and her inability to fight on such footing. Despite this, if she doesn't get sick, she can prove to be a formidable swordswoman._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"What happens when you lose someone close?"

The screen flickered to show only a shadowy form standing before the viewer (you).

"People lose loved ones all the time, whether it be from cancer, war, accidents, old age, or other health complications. It can even be from fires, robberies, muggings... or even terrorist attacks."

The figure gestured to show two towers getting slammed by airplanes on a monitor. "Take this day, for example. On 9/11 in one reality, over three thousand people lost their lives to terrorists who twisted the ideals of Islam to suit their political agenda. And in another..."

Another monitor flickered on to show a trio of towers getting slammed by airplanes. "...these three towers of one of the most powerful nations got hit as well, but by extremists who disliked the way that other people were born. Again, they twisted that around to suit their political agenda without considering the positives that some of those peoples' families were hoping for when they first genetically enhanced their children."

The monitors went dark as the figure then tented their fingers. "That is the thing about terrorism. It can strike anytime, anywhere, by any_one_. They key is vigilance. To be vigilant for such actions can mean the difference between life and death."

* * *

**CHAPTER II - RECRUIT**

To Hayato Hayasgui, it seemed like Glob was mocking him.

Although it was a nice summer day, with not a cloud in the sky and birds flying overhead chirping happily, the mood was far from happy.

The reason why?

He had been rejected.

Not by a girlfriend, oh no. He was rejected from the most prestigious Huntsman Academy in Japan: Yamanouchi Academy.

He gazed down at the letter in his hand glumly. Even after all his efforts in trying to pass the tests, he had failed miserably. The headmaster there who had judged his scores said that although he had potential, he didn't have the aptitude to make it as a full-fledged Huntsman. However, he wasn't told what it was he was lacking, and instead he was told to try again when he felt he was ready. Despite his protests, he had been escorted out of the building and back towards civilization.

His dream of becoming a Huntsman was crushed.

Not even the mere thought of traveling on the Shinkansen back to his home was enough to make him smile again.

Hayato turned and tossed the rejection letter aside, only to think twice about it and picked it up. His father would be disappointed, he was sure. Then again, it wasn't unusual for many people to be rejected for one reason or another.

The cat Faunus sighed as he ran a hand through his brown hair. Things were just not looking up for him as of late.

And it didn't help his father was busy these days with some big project. So that left him to care for his little sister while his father was at work.

It also didn't help that his mother was dead, courtesy of the Kaiju Grimm, Mothra. He gritted his teeth, feeling anger burning in his chest. "Damn Grimm... If only they didn't exist... Then maybe... Just maybe, she..."

A cry escaped him as he punched the wall of the train station. A few people took notice, but they mostly went about their daily lives.

"Mom... I... I miss you so much..." he murmured.

He stood there for a few moments more before he heard a familiar voice.

"Hayato!"

His magenta eyes snapped open and he turned to face the speaker. "Tsuranuki!" he called.

The boy was running up to greet him, and with him were two humans and a Faunus girl. "Hey!" the boy called, waving an arm. Hayato recognized his friends and a real smile crept across his face in relief.

To be honest, just being with his best friends was enough to make him feel better about his circumstances. He ran over to meet them and he noticed they also carried letters from Yamanouchi Academy. A bit of anger filled his eyes briefly before fading. "So, you got your letters too?" he asked, trying to keep calm.

"Actually, well..." Tsuranuki Daimonyama held out his letter and sighed. "I got rejected. The proctor said that my choice of weapon was impractical. But what else can I use?!" he exclaimed. He proceeded to pull out his weapon of choice, a drill that was hand-crafted and powered by a portable Dust battery. "The Drill Pounder _is_ a practical weapon!" He ran his hand through his own brown hair and sighed, his brown eyes looking down at it. "Unless they wanted something more… along the lines of a sword or something, which I can't use."

Tsuranuki stood at five foot eleven and had a lean but strong build, due to him working with his mother in his family's construction company. He wore a yellow t-shirt with an orange shirt underneath, and his legs were covered in a pair of long blue pants, and white sneakers with a white tongue and blue outer soles adorned his feet.

"Hardly," Akita Oga said as he held up his own letter. "I got the same thing. A rejection. The examiner said that my reliance on guns alone could be a problem."

Akita was the next tallest at five foot nine, and he had short dark purple hair with light purple tips. His purple eyes flicked over to his friends as he shifted. He wore a dark crimson t-shirt and a red sleeveless coat with red long pants and brown shoes.

Hayato looked to the other boy and the female rabbit Faunus. "And you, Shinobu?"

Shinobu Tsukiyama was silent, but he held up his letter too. "Same. Rejected. The proctor said that I needed to be more open minded about new fighting styles."

At four foot eleven, Shinobu was the shortest of the group, but he was also the most agile due to his training in ninjutsu. He had dark grey hair cut short, and a purple highlight stuck out on the right side of his bangs. His eyes were a lighter shade of violet, and he wore a brown sweater with green edges. Green pants and socks adorned his lower body and his feet were covered in shoes that conformed to his foot shape.

The rabbit Faunus girl held up her own letter. "I also got rejected. My motion sickness got the better of me..." She looked positively disheartened.

"Miku, don't worry," Tsuranuki said. "Guess this means we have to try harder."

Miku Hatsune sighed. "But where are we supposed to go now? I mean... we tried to apply to one of the best and got rejected."

Miku was the only girl in the group of five, but she was also the most skilled in combat as she was training to master kendo. She stood at five foot five, with long green hair in two pigtails. She wore the Japanese school girl uniform, but she wore dark grey boots with green tops and zippers that ended below the knee. She wore a pair of pink-rimmed glasses, and her white rabbit ears twitched as she shifted her feet nervously.

"Yeah..." Hayato looked at his own letter and sighed. "My dad's gonna be pissed..."

"No way!" Tsuranuki remarked. "He may be disappointed, but he won't be pissed! I know that much!"

The cat Faunus smiled sadly. "Yeah. But it still hurts... I really wanted to avenge my mother, but now..." He gritted his teeth as tears pricked at his eyes. "I... I can't...!"

Akita placed a hand on Hayato's shoulder. "We'll figure something out," he said gently. "At least, I hope so."

"A lot easier said than done," the cat Faunus moped. "Where else are we supposed to go? And what academy would take us?"

The group had no answer.

They turned and proceeded to purchase their tickets for the ride home. It didn't take them long to find their designated _shinkansen_ train and they boarded soon after. The five kids found their car and sat down in their seats, each of them thinking about how to do something to protect Japan now that they had been rejected for Huntsman training. The only issue was, none of them really had any experience in fighting the Grimm. Oh sure they had some skills that could be translated into potential training, but unless they really had training, they couldn't hold their own.

All they really could do was run and hide. And none of them wanted to be stuck on the sidelines.

Not since they each had a reason to fight.

As Hayato peered out the window, watching the scenery go by, all he could really think about was what was coming. He knew that Kaiju Grimm made their appearance quite frequently, about every two months, and each appeared in a different location each time. Such as Mothra appearing six months ago right over Tokyo. That one was perhaps the worst attack yet, with millions of technos in damages being caused, and over five thousand Hunters lost, along with at least twenty thousand soldiers and over three thousand civilians deadm wounded, or missing.

He wasn't sure as to which one would make its appearance next, but he had a gut feeling it would be one of the more massive Kaiju Grimm. The more recent ones tended to vary in size from ten stories to fifteen, and each had their own special power. Much like the stories of Komozilla and other monsters created by radiation from the atomic bombs. (The radiation mutation was actually grounded in reality, as it had been proven by several international bodies that the radiation from the atomic bombings had affected the native Faunus and Mobian populations, leading to a new subspecies dubbed Kaiju Mobians. A notable research team had been formed to delve more into this unique breed, and their efforts were helping to catch these Kaiju Mobians and integrating them into society as a whole.)

Then there was the matter of recent attacks by Satyra. He knew of one kid who had moved to Tokyo because his family was attacked by Satyra for their efforts in vying for Faunus rights. That kid was a cheetah Faunus named Ryuji Kiyosu, and he was from a well-respected Faunus rights supporting family. They advocated equality, not superiority like most others would have, and that, to Satyra, was a danger to their movement.

In all honesty, it baffled Hayato. Why would Satyra attack Faunus who supported equal rights, the same rights that humans had? Was it because they believed themselves superior to normal humans and Mobians? If that were the case, then how could their ideology be countered?

He knew that many organizations were trying to debunk the superiority complexes of some well-known members, but none of them were successful and a few even did the opposite to justify their actions. The most notable in successes was the Vist Foundation, but even they were having issues with the group. It was like someone was trying to thwart their efforts for a united front against the Grimm. Or was it something more?

The cat Faunus groaned as he felt a headache coming on and he rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"Why does Satyra have to go to such lengths?!" he muttered to himself.

He had no answer, and actually, no one did.

But then there was that strange broadcast that had come up a few days ago. That one with the emblem the authorities had never seen before. The one that declared war on Satyra.

Hayato wondered just who was crazy enough to declare war on the Faunus supremacist group. Sure there were the Justice Friends, Global Justice, and even others who were strong, but not even they had the guts to go to war with an entire global-spanning terrorist group. Not even the Dragon of Denver was that crazy, and he was a walking tank! Or close to it, given his incredible durability and firepower.

His thoughts were interrupted by the announcement of their stop. "Oh... We'd better get off," he muttered as the others looked up or back at him.

"Hayato... Normally you'd be excited," Akita remarked as the group stood to leave. "Is it still because of your mother?"

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yeah. It's... It's been really hard on all of us, but especially my dad. He's been busy with some kind of project, and won't even tell me what it is," he said as they filed out of the _shinkansen_ with the other passengers. "It's really bothering me. What is so important that he has to ignore his own children?!"

Akita sensed his friend's despair and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hayato..."

"What?" Hayato muttered.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe your father is _not_ ignoring you?" the boy asked.

"How so?" Hayato moped. "He's been gone pretty much every day for the last six months, only coming home at around eleven at night, and then having dinner and going to bed." He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "He never talks to us, he's not even having meals with us anymore, and... for all I know, maybe the government did something to-"

He was cut off as Tsuranuki slapped him hard across the cheek. He looked up, shocked.

"Hey! Don't even go there, pal!" he growled. "That kind of thinking will only make you no better than that damn terrorist group!"

That was an issue, he realized. As of late, he _had_ been becoming more and more resentful of humans as a whole, mostly because they were the one who had ordered whatever Hunters were in the area to attack Mothra.

And actually, he was _terrified_ of the terrorist group. Terrified in what their objectives could be, what their motives were, how they recruited members, and how they became so blindly racist after joining. It just didn't seem right to him that they suddenly lost all sense of reason and became hate-filled beings who only acted civilized.

Hayato looked down, feeling embarrassed and depressed. "Sorry," he murmured. "But... I just can't help but be terrified of what they could do to us... to me... if they tried to recruit me. And I'm scared that if I joined, I could become hateful towards you... all of you..." He buried his head in his hands. "I don't want to be targeted for recruitment..."

"Then stay away from anyone who could try to," Shinobu said.

Akita's eyes hardened as he pulled his hand away from Hayato. "We'll be backing you up, so don't worry."

The cat Faunus managed a small smile. "Thanks, guys... I mean it..."

The foursome smiled and clapped their hands on his back, engulfing him in a group hug. The boy laughed, and was soon joined by his friends.

* * *

_Off to the side, she watched the boy and his companions._

_A sneer crossed her face._

_The recruit was in her sight._

_She prepared to make her move, only to be halted by her companion. "Hold it. He's not alone. Get him when he leaves the station," he told her._

_The man did have a point, she mused as she drew her coat closer to her body. She took a glance at him out of the corner of her eye and studied him critically._

_The man with her was a bull Faunus, with two impressive horns on his head. He was broad and well built, standing at an imposing six foot three, and he wore a business suit that was a deep tan with a black tie. His hair was black with flecks of grey in it, and his eyes were an intense green color. He was in his late fifties, and he was one of the more well-to-do members, especially given his job._

_Frederick Jones, Senior was not just a supporter of the group, but he was also a backer and supplier of their weapons, given he was the head of Jones and Phillips Industries, a top weapons manufacturer in America. He was the one who had financed the formation of several cells in Japan, but so far their efforts weren't proving fruitful enough for His Eminence._

_It was him that had spotted the young boy after the death of his mother during that Grimm attack. He had judged him to be ready, and so here he was, six months later, and ready to recruit the youth._

_Mostly because of his knowledge on the Shinkansen and its operations._

_He smirked as he looked to her. "As soon as he exits, he will be heading towards his home. He tends to walk alone, although sometimes a friend of his will join him. So you can jump them both. Once he has been recruited, have him kill the friend. This way, no witnesses live... And we have ourselves the biggest asset we can think of..."_

_Her pinkish-red eyes glittered as she smirked. "All the more reason for me to move then," she purred seductively._

_The bull Faunus nodded. "Then go, Suzaku. And may His Eminence watch over you."_

_The fox Faunus slipped into the crowd, slowly trailing their target..._

* * *

Much to everyone's surprise, it wasn't Hayato who picked up the footsteps.

It was Tsuranuki instead.

The boy was further behind, and his eyes widened as he perked up. He looked over his shoulder with a questioning hum, and his eyes narrowed as he watched a fox Faunus woman with a bushy white tail stop to examine a storefront display, putting a hand to her chin as if trying to decide on what purchase to make. But something about her just screamed 'danger! danger!' to him. While he may not have been a Faunus or even a trained Hunstman, working with others at his mother's construction company taught him a lot about how to read body lanugage. So despite his headstromg nature, he could be quite observant when he wanted to be.

The woman was acting _too_ normal, something that sent warning signs to his brain. His hand groped for the drill he had built, and as soon as its grip was in his hand, he looked to Hayato. Worry flickered across his face as he saw her look at the cat Faunus out of the corner of her eye, a smirk crossing her face.

"Hayato! RUN!" Tsuranuki cried as the woman suddenly lunged for the boy, a bright pink-white Aura flaring as she tried to grab his arm.

The human was already in motion as he warned his friend, his hand clenching on the trigger for his drill. The youth felt it shake as it spun up, the motor whirring in his ears as he thrust it forward, the tip driving itself into the woman's Aura, deflecting off of it as she hissed in pain.

"Damn you, brat!" she muttered.

Hayato's eyes widened as he saw her and fear filled his face as he backed up and ran for it, his other friends running back from their own travels to assist in the defense of their friend.

The woman looked at Tsuranuki and narrowed her eyes. "Very clever, boy," she mused. "You knew that calling in your friends would divert my attention and keep me from fulfilling my mission..."

Tsuranuki growled at those words. "Just what is your mission, lady?!" he snapped as he brandished his drill. "Because if it has something to do with my friend, then you're asking for a beatdown!" His own Aura flared, blue and white with golden yellow accents, as the woman stood up.

Despite not being accepted into Yamanouchi, the five kids had managed to unlock their Auras after some training with a Hunter from Britain, and although they lacked any Semblances, they were just happy to have some form of defense.

"Oh... headstrong, but observant? Very interesting," the woman purred.

The boy felt anger build up in his chest as she said this. He growled, but kept his temper in check. "Just what is your mission?" he snarled, his hand clenching the grip of his drill. "Answer me!"

The Faunus woman chuckled. "You wish to know? Well, I'm not about to reveal anything that His Eminence desires," she replied. "It's our code... and way of life."

Tsuranuki growled. "Answer... the... question!" he rumbled.

The woman shifted before she threw open her coat, exposing a black tank top that exposed her toned arms and shoulders nicely. Her bust was pretty ample, but not to an extreme, and she wore her coat like a cloak almost. She wore a pair of black jeans and black combat boots to finish off the ensemble. On her back was a katana sheath.

"If you can defeat me, which I highly doubt you can..." she chuckled.

The boy merely snarled as he hefted his drill and ran at her, a cry escaping his throat. He may not have made Huntsman material, but he sure as hell was not about to back down from a fight if one of his friends was on the line!

He thrust his drill forward as it spun up to maximum speed, and the tip made direct contact with the woman's Aura. Or it would have if she hadn't pulled out her katana to block. He grunted as he pushed, but even with his strength, he was not as strong as a Faunus. He shifted his feet to find leverage, but the woman grinned and flicked her hand, sending his drill away from it and making him stagger back. Tsuranuki grunted as he regained his footing, only to gasp in shock as she was above him, her blade drawn back for a fatal slash. He gritted his teeth and brought his drill up in a blocking manner, his Aura flaring at the exact same time. The combination of defenses worked and he was only knocked flat on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs. His muscles ached as he staggered to his feet, but he was not about to give up.

He had no idea that he was being observed by someone through the security cameras...

* * *

_"Sir! We got something!"_

_"What? What is it?"_

_"That boy... the one with the drill. His compatibility rating..."_

_"What about it?"_

_"It's... it's amazing... He's got a 90% compatibility rate!"_

_"With which unit?"_

_"It seems that the E7 unit has been resonating with him. I can sense it."_

_"You think so?"_

_"Hey! I may be an old mechanic, but I do know when a particular machine resonates with someone! It's not that much different from when a Huntsman resonates with their weapon, right?"_

_"Uh... not exactly, but I do get what you're saying."_

_"Hmph. So, the boy's got it, huh?"_

_"Yes. We have our first candidate."_

* * *

Tsuranuki gritted his teeth as he was thrown back, a cry escaping his throat. He landed flat on his back, but he somehow kept a firm grip on his drill. He grunted as he struggled to push himself into a sitting position, his body screaming in pain at him.

He knew that he couldn't keep fighting at this rate. The woman was just too good a fighter. And even with his Aura, he couldn't do much else except slow her down. Satyra was a danger, and he knew it.

"So, boy, are you going to keep fighting? Because if so..." The woman licked her lips, tasting the blood that had splattered on her face from a cut to his leg. "I could keep going all day, killing humans such as you."

Tsuranuki braced himself for the pain he knew would come, and he began to struggle to get to his feet. If anything, he was not about to let Satyra get their hands on his friend! His Aura flared brightly as he cried out, but he couldn't keep going, and he collapsed. His body had reached its limit.

His vision began to blur as he finally blacked out, but before he did, he heard her speak. "Leave him. He's nothing."

"Yes, Suzaku..."

* * *

Suzaku Akimi ran a hand through her platinum hair as she looked at the wounded, exhausted human before her.

She had to admit, he had put up a hell of a fight. Or at least as best he could, given he was just a reject from that Yamanouchi Academy. But it had amounted to nothing. "Leave him. He's nothing."

"Yes, Suzaku," one of her companions said with a bow.

Mr. Jones watched critically as the group turned and proceeded to follow the other four children. "Are they headed out of the station?" he asked.

"Most likely," Suzaku mused. "We'll try and cut them off."

The others nodded. "Spread out. Form a net and herd them in our direction again. They won't get away."

The Satyra members spread out into groups of two, each running for the station exit, but via a different route. This meant that they could try and block in the kids. However, the kids knew the station better than they did, as they used this station to travel from place to place quite frequently. And it just so happened that they were far ahead of their pursuers.

Something that Suzaku found frustrating. That meant that His Eminence would be displeased. And the last thing she wanted was a strict reprimanding and punishment. She knew personally how harsh he could be with failures. Her last failure left her needing several transfusions of blood from the resulting punishment, and she was not about to be a failure again.

The fox Faunus burst into a sprint, her katana held to the side as she ran through panicked crowds and people.

Her prey would not escape again.

* * *

Hayato was scared out of his wits now. He could feel his heart racing in his chest as Akita, Shinobu and Miku formed a protective circle around him, their eyes and ears pricked for any sign of Satyra's recruiter.

Miku hefted her wooden kendo sword, and Akita's rifle was in his hands while Shinobu wielded a pair of kunai knives in his hands. While not advisable for Hunters-in-training to have weapons out, it was sometimes necessary to try and master them. But that was forgotten as Miku's rabbit ears twitched. She turned one to face the direction which they had come from.

"Company," was all she said as she brandished her sword. "I'll hold them this time!"

"Be careful..." Hayato murmured.

With a nod, the rabbit Faunus turned back to face the enemy as they came into plain sight. She could see three men, each of them armed with a knife or a cable. She frowned as she flared her Aura, green, white, and purple swirling around her body in a dance of color.

She braced for the coming confrontation, and she tensed her body.

"You will not pass," she said calmly. "Not one inch more. Understand?"

The men tensed and then lunged for her. But Miku was already in motion, her sword becoming covered in her Aura, boosting its hitting power.

The second round had begun.

A cry escaped her throat as she swung her sword, hitting one of the men in the chest and sending him staggering back. He rubbed his chest with one hand and looked up, baring his teeth in anger. He lunged again just as Miku's sword connected with one of his companions, causing him to fall to his knees and lose his lunch. The rabbit Faunus hefted her wooden blade, her eyes hardening as she waited for their next move.

The third man lunged towards her, a sinister brown Aura emerging from his body and focusing into his hand, a blade of pure bone emerging from his wrist. He said nothing as he attacked, forcing the rabbit Faunus to leap back to avoid being skewered. She landed and eyed the man's stance. A calculating gaze appeared in her pink eyes as she watched to see what move he would make.

The first man leapt up over his comrade and she gasped, flaring her Aura in defense as he fired his gun, sending fire Dust rounds her way. While the flames engulfed her, her Aura shielded her from the damage she would've sustained. But Miku wasn't down yet. Using the cover of the flames, she tossed her sword out, the tip slamming into the first man's groin, and a gasp escaped him. He collapsed to his knees, intense pain filling that area. Miku sprang out of the flames, her fist drawn back for a punch. Her teeth were gritted as her fist flew out, connecting with his face and giving him double vision.

The third man collapsed, falling unconscious as Miku retrieved her sword from in front of him. The second man grunted as he tried to get to his feet, only to fail as Miku was behind him, knocking him out with a blow to his neck. The first man roared as he lunged, but the young rabbit Faunus leapt away, landing on her feet.

People by now had scattered or were watching this from hiding. And Miku could sense them.

Her eyes narrowed as she hefted her sword.

The first man narrowed his own eyes as he aimed his gun and fired, only for Miku to run at him, her sword gleaming with her Aura. She cried out and swung it, using the Aura-covered blade to send the bullet right back at him. His eyes widened as he leapt to the side, barely avoiding a fatal shot, but getting hit in the side as a result. He landed on the ground, his hand clenching his side as he gritted his teeth in pain.

"Well... it seems you're a feisty little rabbit," the woman's voice purred as she stepped out from behind a nearby pillar. "Something a fox like me eats..." She licked her lips as she eyed Miku in a predatory fashion.

The rabbit Faunus girl held her sword at the ready, her eyes narrowed.

Miku was not about to back down, although she could sense this woman was dangerous.

The woman hefted her katana and sneered. "So, ready to play, little bunny?"

The girl's eyes flashed and she was in motion, running towards the woman.

The two clashed their swords, and people began to watch in shock as the two women went at it. The fox Faunus was much more experienced, but Miku was more agile as she was younger. She flipped over the woman's next slash and her feet lashed out to connect with her gut, but her Aura took the blow and she staggered back as Miku landed on the ground and lashed out with her sword to nail her opponent in the side.

But the woman was anticipating her move and she swung her katana, intending to chop the wooden sword in half. Miku's Aura engulfed the blade and the katana bounced off, allowing the younger Faunus to retaliate with a body slash that knocked the wind from the woman's lungs. She coughed as she rubbed her torso before she looked up, her pinkish-red eyes flaring.

"You are really pissing me off, little bunny..."

Miku was silent as she narrowed her eyes.

The two stayed there facing one another down, and then both ran towards each other, their blades flashing as they clashed.

* * *

_"We got another one!"_

_"Huh? Who?"_

_"It's the girl. Her... Her compatibility rating is 90%, just like the boy!"_

_"Hmmm... Two at once? This..."_

_"This what, sir?"_

_"I don't know, but keep an eye on the others. I'm beginning to see a pattern here."_

_"Hold it! We got another one! A third! It's that cheetah Faunus!"_

_"Where is he?"_

_"He's currently dealing with that bull Faunus, and so far he's holding his own, but-"_

_"What's his compatibility rating?"_

_"90%... like the other two..."_

_"..."_

_"Sir?"_

_"...Keep an eye on him. If they're hurt, get them to safety. We've got three candidates..."_

_"And the others?"_

_"...Honestly, I hope no more are found. But given the circumstances..."_

_"We know. It's hard, but... what can we do?"_

_"Yeah. For now, observe them, and if needed, make sure they get to their units as well. It's of the utmost importance..."_

_"Let me guess. An attack is coming?"_

_"..." *nods*_

_"When?"_

_"Unsure. There's no set time to these. We just have to be ready, and soon..."_

_"Yes, sir..."_

* * *

**Name: Suzaku Akimi**

**Species: Faunus**

**Aura: Pinkish-Red**

**Semblance: Hearts of One**

**Description: Suzaku can manipulate the minds of others into joining the cause of Satyra. Her brainwashing is permanent, unless she gets hit hard enough to knock her unconscious during her attempts to use it. That will break the brainwashing of anyone she has affected. But so far no one has been able to do so.**

**Weapon: Heartbreaker**

**Description: A katana that can use Dust to generate shockwaves**


	4. ESCAPE

"_I assume you have chosen the next location?"_

_"Yes, sir. The attack will take place... here."_

_"Ah. Tokyo. The home of Japan's capital... as well as where the seal is located. Or close to it."_

_"Mount Fuji. Where the Emperor sealed the Grimm."_

_"And you wish to send one there because...?"_

_"There have been rumors swirling of a top secret program developed by Sanban Industries, and I wish to see what it is exactly."_

_"Hmm. Now that you mention, I do recall hearing the rumors myself. Well, then this should be interesting indeed..."_

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: SUZAKU AKIMI_**

_Out of all the Faunus in Satyra, Suzaku Akimi is by far the most dangerous. As a young girl, she was taught by her family that Faunus were equal to humans, and for a while, it seemed like she was grounded in that belief._

_But it was not to be._

_When she was in her twenties, she encountered a man who was preaching about the superiority of Faunus over humans. She couldn't help herself. He was charismatic, powerful, and he oozed an aura of wealth. She was drawn to him, and she found herself falling in love with him._

_The man, however, didn't reciprocate her feelings. Mostly because he saw her as 'tainted by filthy vermin', in his words. He did acknowledge her, but saw her as nothing but a rat. She became determined to prove him wrong._

_Suzaku delved deeper into research of the group he was a part of, and learned of their ideology. She began to wonder if this ideology had some merit. So she explored more of her Faunus heritage and was surprised to learn that she was indeed superior to humans. Suzaku began to elevate herself, and she became a prominent supporter of the group, deciding to work from behind the scenes to back them. She began to build up wealth of her own through a business pertaining to movie distribution, and she became a leading name in Japan's movie industry._

_It was during this time that she unlocked her Aura and discovered her Semblance, which caught Satyra's eye. Suzaku was approached by the man she was smitten with, and much to her surprise, he offered her membership, in exchange for helping them to gather recruits using her Semblance. She eagerly accepted._

_Theories abound as to how many people Ms. Akimi had brainwashed, but there is also speculation amongst Crystal Cove residents that Fred Jones, Jr. met with her and was brainwashed into being a fanatical member. However, no evidence has come forth to prove or disprove this theory. This lack of evidence has, however, led to some members of that community to believe that she did indeed brainwash him._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Mind control has long since been a thing of science fiction."

The shadowy shape reached over and flicked a screen, displaying a series of machines in which children were placed, some screaming and some struggling to escape. "In other realities, mind control is real, and through the use of sophisticated technology, sick, sadistic individuals, organizations, or governments can even alter the memories of people, such as in this world, dubbed Dimension O-000."

The figure tapped the image. "Such technology is now considered taboo, unless a lengthy process is completed. This technology could even reprogram a person entirely, giving them fake memories, a different personality, and other traits to suit their agenda. Even emotions could be manipulated, not just through this technology, but also drugs and mental torture. These kids were subjected to such a process, and even now the recovery program is still ongoing."

The monitor switched to show a man strapped down, undergoing maintenance. "To have your very memory and personality overridden, like a program... It is the utmost in identity loss and identity theft. If a parent loses their child and finds them, only for their child to not recognize them... what else can they feel but hurt, betrayal, rage, and fury? Why do you think so many have fought to end this technology?"

The figure tented their fingers as they leaned forward. "But what if it were a power? Now that... that has many unknowns in of itself. At least with technology it can be reversed... to a degree. Not everything is perfect. Even reverse engineering such technology has limits."

A hum came from the figure as they leaned back in their seat. "So, if you encountered someone who was brainwashed, how would you help them? Or would it be too late for them? Well, it's up to you how that story ends."

* * *

**CHAPTER III - ESCAPE**

Hokuto watched in worry as his son ducked down a nearby corridor with Akita and Shinobu following.

From the safety of the observation deck overlooking the main hangar, he watched on the monitors as the woman from Satyra ran after them, stopping only at an intersection to no doubt listen for their footsteps.

He frowned. Faunus, he knew, had enhanced senses and could use them to great effect, but if one trained hard enough, then one could fool a Faunus. But Hayato and friends had not that kind of training, so it was going to be down to their skills, limited as they were, and a _lot_ of luck to escape _this_ woman.

Beside him he heard footsteps and he turned away from the monitors to see Genki Sanban entering the room. Her eyes were hard as she observed the children running from the fox Faunus. "I see you're observing," she noted.

"Yeah. But only because I'm concerned for my son," Hokuto said softly. His hands clenched behind his back as he turned to look at the monitors again. "And of what it could mean if Satyra gets their hands on him."

"I assume you know who she is?" Genki asked as she joined him.

"Yes." Hokuto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Her name is Suzaku's Akimi. And she's well known in Japan's movie industry. Not for being an actress, but for distributing Japan's films across the world. She's been a supporter of Satyra for years now. Of course there are also the rumors..."

Genki's eyes became shards of jade as she clenched her fists on her folded arms. "Yes. I am well aware of those rumors. That she has a Semblance capable of brainwashing well-meaning, good intentioned Faunus who advocate for equality into supremacist fanatics." She watched as the three remaining children took up hiding in one of the stores lining the station's street. "It can only be broken, according to rumors, by smashing her on the head as she is brainwashing someone, but no one has done so because it is hard to get close to her."

The cat Faunus gritted his teeth. "We need to call in the authorities..." he muttered angrily.

"No. Not yet," Genki advised.

"Why not?!" Hokuto cried, whirling to face her. "They're not skilled enough to hold their own against her for long!"

"Remember... their compatibility ratings," the Lady of Sanban Industries reminded. Hokuto knew what she meant, but it was only a matter of time before they got killed.

"I'm well aware of that! But it's only a matter of time before they get killed!" he cried.

"Yes. But trust me. I have a feeling something good will happen." Genki had a mysterious grin on her face as she said this. Her gaze was on one monitor in particular and she watched the one being observed stir.

Hokuto wasn't too sure on this, but he trusted her. So he sighed. "All right... I'll hold off for now..." Then he snapped his icy blue gaze to her. "But if something doesn't happen to give them a chance at survival, I _am_ calling in the special forces!"

Genki nodded. It was a sound decision. "Very well, Hokuto. I shall let you decide when."

The two turned back to the situation at hand.

"Speaking of which, I have another issue I wish to speak to you about," Genki finally said after a few minutes of silence.

"Does it concern the Project?" Hokuto asked.

"Not as much as you may think," the Demon Blade of the East remarked. "It concerns a potential attack."

"Hm?" Hokuto turned to face her. "An attack? Where?"

"People are concerned it may happen within the downtown section of Tokyo, close to the National Diet," Genki began. "It is close to the two month mark, after all, for when a Grimm will surface. The last six months have seen no Grimm, which is a benefit as it allows us to recuperate, but it also means that the next one could be powerful. Even moreso than Mothra..."

Hokuto gritted his teeth as he remembered the scene of death and destruction. It had been there he had conceived his project, and even now, it was so close to completion. All they needed now was the candidates, of which there were three. But they needed a total of six if it was to even be considered complete. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Six candidates. That's all we need... That's all we friggin' need, and we only have three! It's not enough!"

"Everything has its time and purpose to shine, Hokuto," Genki gently lectured. "The others will show themselves soon... sooner than you may think."

Her gaze was fixed on the camera displaying the three children. The two boys with weapons were now engaging the fox Faunus as the last boy - Hayato - ran for his life. Or rather his freedom. She could sense his terror and fear, and she couldn't blame him. Satyra was known to have inducted lots of recruits ever since Suzaku made her appearance with them. Her eyes hardened as she watched the boy with the pistols fire a few ice Dust rounds at her, but she blocked with her sword and then ran for the two children. The teens dodged, one of them flipping away and landing on the side of a building before running along it and throwing a kunai her way.

Genki turned back to the man beside her. "Hokuto... which units have been chosen?"

He blinked in surprise at the question. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Because it could mean the difference between lives lost and lives saved," the Lady of Sanban Industries replied.

Hokuto hesitated for a moment before he sighed. "Well, the first unit chosen was the E7 unit. It began reacting as soon as the boy - Tsuranuki Daimonyama is his name - attacked Suzaku with his drill. He was able to hold his own, but..." He gestured to the image displaying the boy in question - Genki noticed he was struggling to get to his feet, despite his injuries. "...as you can see... It didn't work. But he did show that he was highly compatible with the unit in question. It began to activate briefly, but then it stopped. That makes me believe that their Aura frequencies match the units in question."

"And this theory so far has played out?" Genki asked.

"So far. The rabbit Faunus also demonstrated a high compatibility rate. And just as the E7 unit was active briefly, so too was the H5 unit. Again, slight movement, but enough to get me thinking," Hokuto said with a nod. "And the last was the N700A unit. It triggered at the same time with the cheetah Faunus boy. Again, a high compatibility rate was the factor. All three have demonstrated a 90% compatibility rate, which is unheard of."

"Then again, so is this project," she joked.

The cat Faunus nodded. "True. But it still is a shocker for me that three candidates turned out to be my son's friends."

"And perhaps there could be more close to you... and your son," Genki said mysteriously as she glided over to the window. She looked out into the hangar, where the six units were currently undergoing maintenance. Three of them had been set off to the side once the candidates had been found, and the others were being held in storage until their candidates were found.

* * *

Akita gritted his teeth as he fired his rounds towards the woman as she blocked them with her katana. "Dammit!" he hissed. "We're running out of options!"

Shinobu hissed as he gripped his kunai in his free hand, a ninja shuriken in the other. "What'll we do?" he asked.

The other boy narrowed his eyes as he looked around for any solution to their situation. They clearly had to buy time for Hayato to escape, and while they were doing much better than Tsuranuki or Miku, they were still losing, if the fact they had some scrapes was anything to go by. But they were not about to let her get Hayato.

The woman sneered as she swung her katana, letting it hang by her side as she flicked her pinkish-red gaze at the ninja on the wall and the gunner in front of her. "I must admit, you two are giving me a real thrill," she mused. "It's been so long I've fought anyone worth calling a challenge."

"Then it pleases us to be the first!" Shinobu spat.

Akita took the chance to fire off a fire Dust round for the fox Faunus, but she hefted her katana and with a swing, unleashed an icy shockwave that caused both rounds to burst into thick steam. Her eyes widened as the area was obscured in smoke.

The boy vanished into an alleyway close by and took up a sniping position as he clasped his pistols together and the barrels extended into a sniper rifle. His eyes narrowed as he waited for Shinobu to make his move.

The young ninja didn't even make a sound, but Akita could sense his presence close by. A whirl of air and then he saw a glinting black shape whiz through the fog, aiming right for where the woman stood. His eyes widened as he saw a glint of steel, and then the shuriken was deflected back towards its thrower. The boy sensed the young ninja vanish as the bladed weapon deflected off the building and he caught it as he landed on the ground, vanishing into the thick mist as it began to fade. Akita took the chance to vanish as well, running after Shinobu.

"We're clearly outmatched," he noted. "She's too good to be a mere recruiter."

"I think she's also a Huntress," Shinobu replied. "That would explain her skills, especially with that blade of hers."

"Do you think we bought Hayato enough time to get to that building?" Akita asked as he looked back in the direction of a nearby building undergoing renovations. "Because if not, then we're all doomed."

"I'm sure we did," Shinobu told his friend, but he was worried as well. "Hayato is far too terrified to even think about heading home at this point."

The two boys retreated, unaware of the fact they had just been observed as well...

* * *

"Sir! We got two more!" a technician called up from the observation deck.

Hokuto looked over as he ran to see what the technician had pointed out.

Two more names he knew to be friends with his son popped up. And beside them was the number of their compatibility rating. His eyes widened. "Two more...?" he asked. "It... Why them?"

"I have no clue," the techie replied. "But we do know this: the E6 and E3 units both reacted to their Aura frequencies. So we know that they are the designated candidates for those units."

"And the last one?" Hokuto asked, getting a feeling in his gut that was not good.

"We're not sure, but if the pattern is evident, then... well... we may have our last candidate sooner than we know..." he said softly as he noticed the director's expression.

Hokuto nodded numbly. '_Hayato..._'

In all honesty, he did _not_ want his son to be roped into this project. But given the state of things, well...

What choice did they really have? It was all or nothing, at this point. And with the attack that was bound to come, they needed all the help they could get. The only question was what kind of Grimm would it be? Would it be one based on Komozilla, or would it be a smaller, but still powerful Kaiju Grimm? Would it be based on a Boarbatusk, or would it be based on a Geist? Would it be able to control the weather, breathe fire, or what? What other powers would it have, if any?

That was the unknown. And any kind of unknown could be either good or bad. And in the case of the Kaiju-class Grimm, it could mean the difference in the number of lives lost. And on top of that, the capture fields were always at risk, as some Kaiju Grimm had demonstrated the power to sap energy from the field itself to use as a power booster. That kind of ability was dangerous, as it also meant it could sap electricity from the very city around it. Which was why the fields had to be above the city, or well out to sea because of it.

But as of recently, the Grimm had proven that even their capture fields were of limited use.

Some part of Hokuto began to wonder if _he_ was only playing with them, testing the limits of their technology. It did seem possible. After all, Japan was the hub for anti-Grimm warfare and technology, leading the world in Dust technology such as weapons and vehicles. But now, what was _his_ objective? Was he trying to really break the seal beneath Mount Fuji, or was he merely toying with them?

That was the unknown again.

No one could tell _what_ this guy was thinking.

Least of all anticipate his moves, as he had contingencies for almost everything, it seemed.

Which was why the Project was considered top secret, and only a select few knew of its true purpose.

The slightest of rumbles reached his enhanced hearing and Hokuto tensed, a bad feeling filling his gut as he recognized it.

"Oh, Glob... not now...!" he muttered.

The cat Faunus backed up as the alarm began to blare.

"Shit...!" Hokuto ran towards the main desk, taking his seat and calling out to the techs manning the satellite. "What are we looking at?" he demanded.

"We're getting a visual right now," a female technician said as she typed a set of commands on the keyboard. Her eyes flicked across the screen, taking in the data as it came from the satellite's main camera. "The data coming in suggests a larger than normal Kaiju type, but as to what type it is, it's still too early to tell. It seems to be coming from the sea, as with all others, but at the same time, it suggests that it's moving away from Tokyo and heading towards one of the smaller settlements by the sea."

Hokuto narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward, tenting his fingers in front of his mouth. He hummed as he considered the implications. While they did have five candidates, none of them were in the vicinity of the SDI's headquarters. And that meant they had to rely on the capture field, as well as what Hunters remained in Japan. Maybe even Genki Sanban, if she wasn't busy with running the business at this time. "Can you try to see what kind it is?"

"Negative, sir. But based on initial sightings from the satellite, I can guess that it may be a derivative of the Boarbatusks in America and other countries," the techie explained. "We'll keep further tabs on it."

"And any others?" the director asked. He was getting a very bad feeling now, and he didn't like it.

"There have been reports as well of what appears to be a large, bull-like creature running through the streets, rampaging. I can't quite confirm if it is a Grimm or not, but witnesses at the sight have confirmed that it appears to be acting intelligent. This could be a new kind of Grimm, one we haven't documented before..." Her voice trailed off.

"Dammit..." Hokuto narrowed his eyes. "Well, we got no choice. Prepare to fire the capture field."

"Yes, sir!" the techie replied.

* * *

Frederick Jones, Sr. sneered as he stood before the terrified cat Faunus. "Face it, kid. You know you can't escape us," he chuckled. "It's inevitable that you join us."

"No! I'd never join you! NEVER!" he screamed, balling his fists. "You just want to use me to disrupt things! I know how you guys work!"

The bull Faunus placed a hand to his chest. "Oh, you wound me so, my son," he mocked. Then he lowered his hand and his Aura flared, a deep red tinged with black. "Look. I don't want to have to resort to force, but I will if I must," he said. "Look around you. Many people claim Faunus are being given equal rights, but if that's the case, then why are some countries not recognizing that fact?"

"Just because some Faunus aren't being treated as people doesn't mean you can force others into your psycho terrorist group!" the boy shouted as he backed up, his hand groping for a nearby weapon. Any weapon, really.

Mr. Jones rolled his eyes and lashed his hand out, a whip uncurling from around his arm and snatching the boy's hand in its grasp. "Nice try, kid. But you _are_ going to be joining us... whether you like it or not!"

The cat Faunus youth squirmed in his grasp as he tugged at his hand in an attempt to get away. But Mr. Jones was far from deterred. Instead he merely sneered at the youth as he pulled him closer. "And you know we are right... the government _did_ order your mother to her death. You just refuse to accept it."

He wished that Suzaku were there to help him, but unfortunately she was too busy being held up by a few brats and their little toys. The kids were far too easy to beat, as his defeat of the cheetah Faunus proved. He pulled the boy closer to his face. "And we can help you become far stronger than you ever believed..." he purred, his eyes flashing as he sneered.

The boy merely growled before he reacted by slamming his forehead into Mr. Jones' face. The bull Faunus roared in pain as he clamped his hands on his broken nose and he staggered back, giving the boy time to run for it.

He looked up, tears running down his face as his nose throbbed in agony. "Little shit! He'll bay for dat!"

He broke into a run, intent on capturing the boy and giving him a piece of his mind before Suzaku did her thing with him.

His enhanced hearing could pick up the kid's frantic breathing and his footsteps. He was not about to fail his mission, and he was not about to let the brat escape. Especially as his knowledge would be useful in the coming years. This was of the utmost importance, and a gaggle of schoolkids was not about to stop him!

His Aura flared as he sprinted across the street towards the boy, following his footsteps with his Faunus hearing. His eyes flashed as he spotted him skidding around a nearby pedestrian and her child. He brushed past them and skidded around the corner, sneering as he saw the boy ahead of him. He increased his running speed, and the boy screamed in fright.

His hand flew out and grabbed a nearby pipe from a pile of them lying near one of the reconstruction sites for the buildings damaged in the attack six months ago, his Aura flaring a bright green, pink and white. He had his eyes closed as he swung it, the tip barely grazing Mr. Jones' suit. He landed and looked at the boy, who pried open his eyes. Despite the terror present in them, he was not about to go without a fight, he noted. Perhaps he was potential material in more ways than one. A smirk crossed his face as he stood up straight and brushed off his suit. "Well, son, it appears you have the guts to face me in combat," he mused with a chuckle. "I'm actually quite amused. No one has had the balls to challenge me directly before."

The boy didn't say anything. His eyes hardened as he hefted his pipe, shaking though he was.

Mr. Jones laughed as he began to step back, his Aura flaring as it began to cover his body entirely. "Well, seeing as you dared to challenge me, I'd say you warranted a chance to face me in my battle form," he remarked as his body began to change. His body began to bulk up, his chest and arms becoming more pronounced. He felt his spine starting to change as his hips suddenly changed position, and he landed on all fours, his hands becoming harder and more like hooves. His suit stretched and tore as he felt hair beginning to cover his new body. His facial features changed from human to more bovine, his bones cracking and shifting as it happened. He felt his horns elongate and his feet also changed into hooves. A pain in his spin raced down to his brain briefly as the tail emerged, swishing as his bones thickened. More muscle piled on, boosting his strength and durability. He felt the raw power of his new body, and he reared back, letting out a bellow as he did so.

This was his Semblance, Rage of the Bull. It allowed him to change his body into that of a bull, becoming more powerful and more deadly, but at a price: the longer he stayed in that body, the more animalistic he became.

Mr. Jones couldn't speak anymore, but the way his eyes glinted indicated he was not about to let the boy escape.

He broke into a run, his horns lowered to gore the kid in the chest.

If he couldn't be turned to Satyra's cause, then he may as well be killed and done with.

The boy was quick to react, leaping to the side and landing on his feet like a cat, holding the pipe out to one side like a sword. He looked up, his eyes flashing as he roared, charging at the bull with the tip of his pipe becoming coated in his Aura. He swung it and the metal pipe glanced off the side of Mr. Jones' bull body, causing blood to come flying from the wound. Mr. Jones bellowed in rage, but he kept his mind focused on his objective, which was to subdue or kill the boy.

The youth let loose with another attack, running and leaping up, this time spinning the pipe as he cried out, jabbing the tip down towards the ground in front of Mr. Jones. He barely had time to stop himself as he skidded to a halt, his horns barely inches from the boy's arms.

He looked up, and both made eye contact.

And it was then that Mr. Jones saw that the boy was not to be swayed. His fear of Satyra was great, but it was his hatred for their ideology that made him refuse to join. Even Suzaku would have had a hard time, he now realized. This boy was far from suitable for Satyra's needs. He was too tainted by humanity to be considered saved.

Mr. Jones bellowed and tried to gore the boy, but the kid pulled his pipe free and swung it, the Aura-coated tip actually creating a gash on one of his horns. The bull roared as he staggered back, shaking his head to try and lessen the pounding caused by the attack.

The bull narrowed his eyes as soon as the pounding faded to a dull throb, and he snorted, pawing at the pavement with one hoof.

The cat Faunus narrowed his magenta eyes and hefted his pipe, unaware of the camera observing both of them.

* * *

"Sir! We got it! The last one!" the technician cried.

Hokuto spat out his coffee and looked up. "Who is it?" he asked.

"It's... It's... your son...!" she whispered. "He's got a compatibility rate of 90%, just like the others...!"

The news made Hokuto's heart sink. He hadn't wanted his son to become involved in this project. But his rate was high enough to be considered for it. He gritted his teeth, remembering the words of an old friend of his. '_The road to Hell is paved with good intentions._' And now, here he was, at the crossroads on such a path. His project, considered the best hope Japan had, was also at risk of being considered taboo because of what it entailed, and the fact that the candidates, or rather the majority of them, were underage. Only one was considered an adult, and that was worrisome. Hokuto wasn't sure if he should even go through with this now. His son and his friends, they were all the only ones who could do this, really. While they may have had Auras, they lacked a Semblance because they just didn't have the necessary genes to activate one. It seemed ironic and impossible for all six to have the same genetic mutation, but it happened. The only good news was that their Aura reserves were double those of a normal person, so they could use their Auras much more often and for longer periods than those of a normal person who had a Semblance and Aura.

But to use children in such a project... Was it really worth it?

He gritted his teeth, trying to think.

'_What should I do? My son and his friends are the only ones who can drive these things... and yet... they're still children...! I... I can't put them through this! I just can't! Glob, Monty Oum, please... what should I do?!_'

"Go with what your heart tells you, Hokuto," a small voice said.

His eyes snapped open as he heard it.

It wasn't his own, or anyone else's he was familiar with. He looked around, trying to find the speaker. But they were gone, as if they had never been there to begin with.

"Go with what my heart tells me..." Hokuto cast his gaze back at the main monitor showing his son engaged with the bull Faunus, Frederick Jones, Sr. He could see Hayato was holding his own, but not for much longer.

He recalled his son's fear and hatred of Satyra, and his resolve hardened. There was no way he was going to allow Satyra to make his son into one of them... not while he lived!

His hands clenched into fists as he looked up. "Fire the capture field!" he cried.

"Yes, sir!" the techie said. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she typed in the commands.

* * *

**EARTH ORBIT**

High above the Earth, hidden amongst the other satellites of the world's nations, a certain satellite began to move into position. This satellite in particular possessed a unique design, with a component shaped eerily like the front of a _shinkansen_ bullet train. Two solar panel wings extended off from the sides, and beneath it hung a satellite dish that was aimed directly at the coast of Japan.

The satellite's main power supply began to whir as energy was shunted from it directly into the focusers and energy capacitators to form the field in question. The dish below began to glow as an energy ball formed, and then a slim, multicolored beam shot down from the dish, right towards where the Grimm and bull had been sighted.

* * *

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

**SANBAN ESTATE**

Genki Sanban sat in her study, looking over reports for Sanban Industries' stocks and finances, when she heard the alarm blaring.

Her gaze hardened as she looked up from the reports. She tapped a small button on her desk, and a monitor slid out of the oaken furniture. The black screen flickered on, displaying the sight of the battle raging in the city's downtown sector.

The bull had just finished rampaging down a nearby street and scattering people, and she noticed a boy with cat Faunus features land close by, a pipe stained with blood held in one hand. The boy crouched atop the nearby streetlight, and his eyes flashed as he leapt off, trying to go for a punishing blow intended to disable the bull. But the way it reacted indicated that it was not just a normal bull. It had _intelligence_, and that meant only one man could be that bull.

"Frederick Jones, Sr..." she muttered. "I know it is you in that body."

But what happened next was a surprise.

Her eyes widened slightly as she saw what appeared to be a flash of light from the sky, and then it slammed into the area, encompassing the whole of the fight, and then the bull was gone, leaving just the boy alone. He was panting, but he was alive, and he was clearly alert, trying to figure out what had happened. Genki, however, know.

"So they fired a capture field. Excellent timing, Hokuto," Genki mused as she tented her fingers. "But how long can you keep this thing contained, I wonder?"

She leaned back in her seat and observed with a calculating gaze.

'_Now, Hokuto, is the time to see if your project will pay off... And if it is well worth the risks in the end..._," she thought.

She reflected back on the data she had been sent by the Anaheim division of her company, the data on each candidate, including his own son. They all had great promise, she knew, but it all depended on how each reacted to their new frames once they woke up in them. She knew that one of the boys was making his way to the renovated building closest to the station, unaware that it was the headquarters for the SDI. And she hoped he wouldn't react in a negative way.

Especially as he was the closest one to make a difference in this battle.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Tsuranuki grunted as he staggered along through the corridors of the partially reconstructed building.

His eyes were barely open and his vision was blurry, but he could care less. He had to find help for Hayato.

He scanned all around him, his voice hoarse as he called out. "Hello?!" He suddenly doubled over, coughing from exerting his voice. He looked up, one eye squinted shut as he continued on.

His heart was pounding beneath his ribcage as he staggered down another corridor, and he could hear the blood rushing through his veins. He was pushing his body to its limits, he knew, but he couldn't stop to rest yet. Not when Hayato was in danger.

The boy kept going for a few more feet before he came to a nearby stairway, and he looked down it. His vision swam and he swore he saw that it was deeper than it actually was. He shook his head abruptly and he gripped the railing in a death grip as he made his way down the staircase.

Tsuranuki reached the bottom of the stairs, but his legs were shaking from the effort. He almost collapsed, but drawing on his own inner strength, he kept going. He had no idea as to where he was, but he could see he was in some kind of room with strange pod-shaped objects. Were they beds? His addled mind thought so. They looked strangely comfortable...

He staggered over to one and proceeded to plop inside. His body was aching, as was his brain. Maybe a nap would do him some good...

He closed his eyes, unaware of the helmet that flopped right over his eyes and head. He was out like a light as the pod door closed shut...

And then it happened.

* * *

**_PROJECT: SHINKALION_**

**_UNIT: E7 KAGAYAKI_**

**_STATUS: ACTIVATED_**

**_PHASE I - Stage 1 of 6_**

**_COMPLETE_**

* * *

**Name: Frederick Jones, Sr.**

**Species: Faunus**

**Aura: Red tinged with black**

**Semblance: Rage of the Bull**

**Description: Frederick can change his shape into that of a hull. He is much faster, more muscular, and is capable of charging at enemies to gore them with his horns. In this body, he is capable of intelligent thought and can use his Aura, but he cannot speak. And if he stays as a bull for longer than a day, he becomes more animalistic with each day that passes.**

**Weapon: N/A**


	5. ACTIVATION

"Director Hayasugi! We have confirmation!"

The cat Faunus jerked upright in his seat. "What? Confirmation of what?!" he demanded.

The technician turned to face him, her eyes wide as she pointed to the monitor displaying the pod room. "We have confirmation of activation! One of the units is coming online even as we speak!"

"Which one?!" Hokuto snapped.

"It's the E7, sir. The E7 Kagayaki has just been activated!"

"By whom?!" the cat Faunus asked as he stood up.

"It's the boy, Tsuranuki, I think you said his name was." The technician did a quick double check. "Yes. It is. It's Tsuranuki."

Hokuto was in shock. Finally... he was about to see if his project would pay off... and if it was even right to rope children into this war even further than they already were.

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: E7 KAGAYAKI_**

_The first of the units to be activated, this machine is built for power. Equipped withn a power motor, the E7 can operate in any conditions, including near vacuum, making it perfect for dealing with Kaiju Grimm that can absorb the air around them. The unit stands at twenty-six meters in height in humanoid form and weighs a hundred and ten tons in both battle and default forms._

_The unit is equipped with treads on its ankles for quick movement and is stronger than the other units. Its hands are protected by metal guards that can be used to boost its punching power, and it is also equipped with a drill for drilling through metal, rock, and concrete. This drill can be upgraded to a more powerful form, called Powered Mode._

_The driver of this unit is Tsuranuki Daimonyama._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to power, it comes in many forms. But in reality, power is what we make of it." The figure leaned forward to expose a pair of eyes glinting behind a set of glasses.

"So, what do you see power being used for? Good? Evil? Or just the right thing? What is the right thing? And what is worth fighting for? Well, only you can decide that."

* * *

**CHAPTER IV - ACTIVATION**

'_Ugh... My head..._'

That was the first thought Tsuranuki had as he came to.

'_Maybe taking a nap wasn't such a good idea after all..._' he thought as he tried to get up.

Only to discover right off the bat that he couldn't.

He couldn't get up.

Hell, he couldn't move _anything_. It felt like his entire body was strapped down, or at least wrapped up super tight so he couldn't even see.

But if that were the case, then he would be suffocating if it was a full body wrap.

And why did he feel so... funny? Like he didn't...

Have any... arms and legs...?

Wait. _No arms **and** legs?!_

_That_ was enough to send him into a panic.

Tsuranuki couldn't move because he had no limbs to speak of. And that was enough to make anyone panic. He tried in vain to open his eyes, but much to his shock and horror, he had none. And he was unable to hear, as well. It was like he had been stripped and locked in an isolation chamber after being injected with morphine to numb all sensation. And yet he was unable to move.

All he could do was scream in his thoughts.

Or at least that's what any normal person would've done. But Tsuranuki was not the kind of person to crack that easily. Instead, he started to try and calm himself down as best he could. His thoughts were racing a million miles a minute as he struggled to get them in order. '_Okay, Tsuranuki. Just calm down! It won't do you any good to break right now!_' he thought to himself.

He tried to take in a breath, but failed. He brushed that aside and focused his thoughts. '_That's it. Just take it easy and try to think._'

Tsuranuki was finally able to calm his frantic mind and he relaxed as best he could. If there was one thing he did take away from his mediocre training, it was that he had to be calm and not let his imagination run wild when it came to Grimm or even rogue Hunters. Any of that could lead to failure in a mission, injuries, or even death. He knew how harsh the world was, as his father had died during a dispute with a rogue Huntsman three years ago.

And with his friend Hayato being targeted for a potential recruit for Satyra, he wasn't about to let him go down that path.

'_Okay. Let's see. Well, I know for one thing I can't move, period. I don't have any arms or legs, I can't see, hear, or even speak or anything else. I feel like I've been wrapped like a roll of sushi, and I can't breathe. That's usually a cause for concern. But how did this even happen? And where am I?_' the boy thought.

Now that he wasn't panicking, he was able to get a small sense of _where_ he was. It wasn't much, but he could get an idea that he was in some kind of facility. He could feel something beneath him, straight and metallic. He focused in on that faint sensation, his essence trying to grasp what it was. Tsuranuki faintly felt something shift, and he jolted a little. _'What _was_ that feeling?_' he thought in surprise.

The boy focused on it again, and now that he was, he could sense a metallic nature, something resting beneath his wheels...

Wait...

'_Wheels?!_' Tsuranuki thought. '_What's going on here?!_'

He tried to figure out how to see. He needed to know what was going on, and more importantly, what he had become. He let his mind expand out, trying to get a sense of his new form.

Now that he was trying to actively sense his own body, he could feel that it was _very_ different than his own human flesh and blood. For one thing, he felt like a snake. A long, twisting snake. But he wasn't a snake. Not in any way, shape or form. Except for maybe the similarities in basic shape. But the fact he had _wheels_ was an indicator that he was something else. Something more metallic, maybe mechanical or biomechanical in nature. But what _was_ he?

Okay. Now he was getting somewhere. He knew he had wheels, and apparently had some snakelike characteristics. But he lacked a face, eyes, ears, and mouth. So maybe he wasn't a true snakelike creature. Maybe some kind of vehicle? But what kind? The only one he could imagine was a truck with several containers on it. And actually, that's what he felt like. Like he had containers attached to his front.

But that didn't explain the metallic structures beneath his wheels. _Those_ felt more like rails. And last he recalled, trucks used for hauling weren't meant to ride on rails! That meant he wasn't a truck. But... wait... was it...?

His desire to see just grew at that. He needed to know. Was he really a truck or something else?

Tsuranuki's vision finally began to restore itself. A flash dashed across his vision briefly, making him help in his thoughts before it spread out to become static. And then words filtered across his vision.

**UNIT: E7 KAGAYAKI**

**STATUS: ACTIVATED**

**DRIVER: TSURANUKI DAIMONYAMA**

**AURA: STABLE**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 36 HOURS**

**ENERGY LEVELS: 100%**

The boy was surprised at this as the words faded, revealing the interior of a large facility of some kind. Now that he could see, he could make out several other sleek shapes, and each one of them sent a jolt through his new body.

The shapes on either side of him were not trucks.

They were _shinkansen!_

And he was one of them.

Tsuranuki tried to figure out how in the world he could've become a _shinkansen_. The last thing he remembered was staggering down to a nearby building, the one that was undergoing renovations, in hopes of finding some help for Hayato. He had been battered, bruised, and beaten from his fight against that woman, the fox Faunus. He managed to make his way inside and down to a small room that held what appeared to be futuristic beds, and yet, when he had fallen asleep in one... next thing he knew he had woken up as a _shinkansen_.

Wait. What if those pods hadn't been beds, but... something else? Something else entirely?

It did seem possible. But who in their right mind would develop something to turn someone into a _shinkansen_? It didn't make much sense.

Tsuranuki wracked his thoughts as he tried to figure out what the hell happened. He knew for sure that his wounds hadn't been bad, but they hadn't been superficial, either. But... then how did he become a _shinkansen?_ Were his wounds much worse than he thought?

But if that were the case, then he'd... have... died...?

_DIED?!_

Tsuranuki's mind reeled at the thought. Was he really dead?! Was he just a ghost!? Could he even be considered alive in this state?! His thoughts whirled around in his mind as he tried to figure this out, but the more he thought about it, the more the conclusion seemed to be real. He wasn't alive anymore. He was dead.

Deceased.

A corpse.

And his soul was now possessing the _shinkansen_. He started to panic, feeling something racing inside of him as his new body responded to his emotions. He felt a slight jolt as his new wheels reacted to this new sensation. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't want to be stuck like this, a ghost controlling an inanimate object. He wanted to be able to move freely, to have arms and legs, to be _alive_ again! To live his life again.

_'I gotta get outta here! How do I change back?! And am I really a ghost!?_' he thought.

That word was all it took.

The next thing he knew, his sleek form began to shift and change, and his vision became a swirl of color, making him sick to his nonexistent stomach. He felt like he was going to barf, but he no longer had a stomach to purge. Instead, he tried to focus on what was happening to himself. Tsuranuki could feel his entire frame shifting and changing, parts linking and moving, and then it was over. He was standing, but upon seeing how different things were now in terms of his height, a sense of intense vertigo came over him and he wound up staggering back, tripping over his big metal feet and landing flat on his butt as he slipped on something. He groaned to himself in his thoughts as he shook his new helm, trying to regain his sense of balance.

Tsuranuki lifted his gaze and finally got a look at his new body.

Or rather his new frame.

He could see that his new legs were mostly blue on the lower portions with white upper legs, and what appeared to be the shell of the _shinkansen_'s rear engine on the sides of his legs. Golden yellow accents - what he saw to be pistons on his feet - stood out to his vision, and he slowly lifted a leg, spotting something on his ankles. On each side of his ankle were two caterpillar treads, like those of an excavator. He flexed his foot, feeling the systems of his new frame moving the appendage. The pistons also moved, and he wondered if those were to boost his running speed somehow. And with the treads, he wondered if they were for additional mobility.

Tsuranuki lowered his leg and cast his gaze down at his chest, noticing in surprise that it was the front end of the _shinkansen_. He slowly raised a shaking mechanical hand and touched it, dark grey metal fingers brushing the blue and white armor before ghosting up to the glass that covered where the cockpit would be for the train. He could faintly feel the sensations, and it was eerie as hell. The headlights on the front of the train gleamed in the light from the facility's ceiling lights, and Tsuranuki took the time to look at his hand resting on his new chest.

His hand was covered by some kind of guard that resembled a shovel that was equipped to an excavator or backhoe, but at the same time not. Pistons attached to it no doubt would boost the force of his punches, which would go a long way to defeating Grimm, or anything, really. The mere thought sent a shiver down his new spinal struts, and he shuddered, his new armor rattling against his metallic hide. He shot a glance to either side, noticing in surprise that his shoulder guards resembled the back end of the _shinkansen's_ front engine. His hand drifted to one of them and he brushed his fingertips against it, surprised at the sensation. And now that he thought about it, he was curious as to what his helm looked like.

Tsuranuki looked around, trying to find something that would reflect his new face. His gaze landed on a nearby slab of metal - no doubt for repairs or something - and he grasped it, pulling it close and holding it up to face level.

His new face was actually quite impressive, he thought. For one thing, the helm seemed somewhat aggressive, with a vent on either side of his face. Two white protrusions swept back, and on the forehead was something resembling a commander's fin from the _Gundrazer_ series he had seen several months ago. This commander fin was a lighter shade of blue, contrasting his helm which had blue for the majority of its armor, with white and gold accents. His new optical sensors were a fierce shade of green, and his faceplate was pure white. All in all, it seemed to suit him.

He slowly raised a hand to touch his faceplate, his metal fingertips brushing the metal. "...Wow..."

Tsuranuki paused, his hand going to his throat. He touched the metal armor on his neck, surprised. His voice sounded much deeper than he remembered. And it had a metallic edge to it, something he hadn't expected.

He spoke again, feeling his new vocalizer vibrating as a result. "What... what _am_ I?"

* * *

"Sir, he's online and active," the technician said, catching Hokuto's attention.

The cat Faunus walked over to the window and peered out at where the six units were, and much to his surprise, he was staring at one of them in its humanoid form, the E7 Kagayaki. Its optics were looking down at its chest, and one hand was on its neck. Within those green optics was a purely human intelligence, and a smile crossed his face.

The LinkPod had worked.

"Get me the mike," he ordered.

The woman nodded as she handed him the microphone. He took it in his hand and pressed the button.

"Unit E7, can you hear me?"

The machine's helm snapped up, scanning left and right for his voice. Hokuto wasn't about to address the Driver by his name yet. He had to judge his reaction first.

"_What's going on here?!_" the machine demanded, slowly getting to his feet. "_Who are you? Where the hell am I? And why in Glob's name am I a _shinkansen?!" He almost slipped on his treads, only to spread his arms in an attempt to catch his balance. "_W-Whoa!_" He stood like that for a few seconds before he slowly straightened up. He was unsteady in his new frame, but he was adapting quite nicely. Hokuto spoke again into the mike.

"Calm down, Unit E7. Everything will be explained shortly," he stated, still gauging the reaction of the machine before him.

"_And why do you keep addressing me as Unit E7? My name's Tsuranuki Daimonyama!_" the machine snapped, green optics blazing in anger.

The cat Faunus smiled to himself.

The project was a success.

* * *

Tsuranuki felt anger bubbling in his chest as he clenched his metallic fists.

Whoever was speaking to him sure had the gall to call him 'Unit E7' or whatever it was. The voice was clearly not human, as it was more demonic sounding in tone. He recalled old legends of _yokai_ spirits, spirits that were said to manifest as demons or other supernatural creatures, and he wondered briefly if he was about to fight one of them. In a world where Grimm came from a dark ooze, it didn't seem that far off to think that such creatures like _yokai_ could exist in this world.

He felt his new hydraulics tense in his frame and he crouched a little, his new optics flicking left and right, his new audios tuned to their highest sensitivity to pick up even the faintest of sounds.

Tsuranuki waited in tense anticipation of the demon coming out of the walls or something.

But nothing did.

At least that's what the thing no doubt wanted him to think, he mused as he turned his head, scanning around him with his newly enhanced vision.

Then the voice came again, only this time it was more familiar.

"_Tsuranuki Daimonyama._"

He jerked back in shock, his feet sliding out from under him due to his treads and he landed on his metal butt with a grunt. Tsuranuki groaned as he looked up at the ceiling. "Mr... Hayasugi?"

"_Sorry for the deception, but don't worry. I said everything will be explained,_" the voice of Hokuto Hayasugi replied.

"Just what the hell happened to me?!" Tsuranuki shouted.

"_Calm down. I can't explain if you're yelling at me,_" Hokuto said gently.

He growled, but relented and just sat back, drawing his legs close to his chest as he gazed at the ceiling, fixing his gaze on a camera that was watching him.

"_First off, as for what's going on, it's quite simple. You and your friends have been selected to partake in a special project that could very well be the salvation of Japan,_" Hokuto began. "_This project, Project SKL, has been in the works for several months now, ever since the death of my wife Sakura at the hands of Mothra. I'm sure you remember that one._"

Tsuranuki did remember. He could recall seeing the news and then the funeral, during which Hayato was just crying nonstop. He wished he could've made more of a difference then. "I remember that," he said. "Hayato was upset for days."

"_Yes. That attack drove home a key fact for me that no one else has realized until now._" Here Hokuto paused, and Tsuranuki could sense the tension in the room. "_Japan is currently engaged in a war of attrition against the Grimm. More specifically, the Kaiju-class Grimm that surfaced fifteen years ago._"

Silence filled the air, and Tsuranuki almost felt like it was oozing over him. It made his new circuits crawl, and he shivered a bit. "So... what does this have to do with what happened to me?" he asked slowly.

"_Everything, Tsuranuki,_" Hokuto continued. "_I started this project after Sakura's death as an attempt to prevent the loss of more of Japan's Hunters, as well as to ensure that time is bought so the seal beneath Mt. Fuji can be strengthened._"

Now _that_ was something he hadn't expected to hear. He was on his feet in a flash, gazing at the camera in shock. "You gotta be friggin' _kidding_ me!" he blurted. "Someone wants to break the seal?!"

"_I'm not_ _joking_," the cat Faunus explained. "_The attacks have been getting more and more brutal with each year. And they're only costing us more and more lives with each one. Even our best Hunters are slowly being whittled down. And frankly, it's causing a lot of people to lose hope._" He paused, then continued. "_And that is why this project was developed. To give Japan a symbol of hope to rally around._"

Slowly, Tsuranuki looked down at his metal hands, realization dawning in his optics. "You mean to tell me that...?"

"_Yes. Tsuranuki, you and your friends have been selected to be a part of this project. You may not have been Huntsman or Huntress material, but you have the aptitude and drive to be a part of this project,_" Hokuto stated. "_Your skills will be best utilized in this project. It is our best bet... and the best bet for Japan's survival._"

"... Just one question. What... what _am_ I?" Tsuranuki asked. "I mean, I know I'm a _shinkansen_, but..."

"_The name of the mecha you are now is called _Shinkalion._ The frames have been named after the project itself: Project SHINKALION. It stands for SHINKAnsen LIberates Our_ _Nation,_" the cat Faunus replied. "_The_ shinkansen_ in the past liberated Japan from poverty and allowed us to become a technological powerhouse. So, why can't it be used to liberate us from despair, too?_"

Tsuranuki kept his gaze on his hands as he flexed them slowly. "_Shinkalion..._" He tried the word out, and the very sound of it sent shivers down his spinal struts. It seemed to fit. It sounded aggressive, strong, and powerful. But underneath it, there was a hint of something else, too. A hint of a new possibility... for a better world. He looked up, giving a thumbs up. "Mr. Hayasugi, count me in!"

In the observation deck, Hokuto smiled broadly.

"_Good. Now, there's been a couple of disturbances in the area around Fukushima, as well as in Tokyo itself,_" Hokuto explained. "_The first has to do with a recent sighting of what appears to be a bull-like creature. It's attacking the location closest to where Hayato was last seen._"

A growl escaped Tsuranuki's vocalizer as he clenched his fists. "How do I get there?" he asked.

* * *

**GRIMMFALL**

The last thing Phil Ken Sebben expected was to get a call from Genki Sanban.

His hand flew out to tap the button on his desk, and the monitor on his desk phone flashed with her image.

"Genki. What's the occasion for this call?" he asked.

"_It has to do with recent events in Japan,_" she explained. "_I am sure you have heard the news of the recent attack six months ago?_"

"How could I not?" Sebben asked as his hand tapped the eyepatch over his right eye. "Everyone was talking about it for weeks afterwards. Why? And how does this tie into recent events?"

Genki closed her eyes and began to explain the story. The whole time, Sebben was listening with wide eyes as she told of the recent developments regarding Satyra, and of their desire to recruit a young cat Faunus who was utterly terrified of them, and had extensive knowledge of the _shinkansen_ bullet trains. But when she got to the project, he was utterly in disbelief. He had seen much and heard much of different efforts to try and leverage any sort of edge over the Fallen and Grimm, one of which he was drastically opposed to - that project being the Denver Shadow Line. It took an awful lot to shock him.

And this really shocked him.

He had heard rumors of a top secret project being carried out by Japan's government, but this... to hear of this kind of project...

For once, Sebben was utterly shocked. Japan had actually developed something to give them a fighting chance... and to give people a sense of hope?

"This project... is it even really viable, given... well..." His voice trailed off as he gritted his teeth. "...the ones needed for it are young?"

"_Rest assured they are well above the age that you fear,_" Genki assured him. "_They are all in their teens, to say the least._"

"Teenagers... Japan's fate rests in the hands of a bunch of teenagers..." Sebben rubbed his temples with his fingers. "Great... Just great..."

"_They would not have been chosen if they didn't have qualities that are sorely needed,_" Genki explained. "_And it helps their Auras are double the reserves of a normal person._"

"Very well. If they can prove themselves, then we'll consider the possibility of expanding it to GrimmFall... or barring that, setting up a branch here in America," he said.

"_I only wish it won't have to come to that..._" Genki said softly.

The mayor of GrimmFall closed the commline shortly after and sat back, his fingers tenting as he reached up to his eyepatch. "Hmm..."

* * *

**EN ROUTE TO TOKYO CAPTURE FIELD**

If there was one thing Tsuranuki was sure of, it was that Hayato would _freak_ over what he was doing right now.

He was currently en route to the capture field holding the bull-like creature that had attacked Tokyo, driving along the shimmering energy rails that had formed in place of the regular rails. The very sensations of his new frame were enough to make him feel a bit giddy, in all honesty. The feeling of his wheels moving along the rails, the power of his engine racing as it granted him movement, and the wind rushing past his metal armor... '_Man! Hayato is going to _flip out_ when he learns what I can do!_' he thought excitedly.

But at the same time, he had a mission to focus on.

He forced the excitement from his new processor as he neared the capture field. He could see it growing larger with each passing moment, and finally he spotted the curve in the track leading directly into the field. The bluish energy barrier shimmered as he drew closer. Tsuranuki braced himself as he passed through it, a tingling sensation racing across his entire frame. It felt like he was speeding through a rainstorm. Then just as quickly it began, the sensation ended and he was within the field.

Had he been human, his jaw would've fallen open.

All around him he could see rail tracks, crisscrossing over a platform suspended in the center by two large pylons connecting to the field itself. Above the center of the platform was a large entryway, and he surmised that it was some sort of exit or entry point. The top of the entryway was closed off by large plates, and in the middle of the platform was none other than the bull-like creature, except this time it had grown from a mere bull into a monstrosity. '_Okay! How in the hell did that thing get so big?!_' Tsuranuki thought as he came around and applied his brakes. The sensation of the brakes pressing down was eerie in many ways, but not as weird as the sensation of his engine slowing down.

"Here we go..." he muttered. "_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

Tsuranuki felt the transformation begin even before he had fully braked. This time, his vision wasn't a mass of swirling and colors. As soon as his legs had formed, he sprang off the rails, finishing his transformation as he flipped and landed on his feet, one hand driving into the platform below him, the other spread out to the side. He looked up, a sensation of pride filling his chest. '_Not a bad landing,_' he thought.

He stood up, clenching his fists as he looked the creature over.

It did resemble a bull still, but it was more the size of a minor Kaiju-class Grimm. It didn't seem to be very strong, but he knew that appearances could deceive. The horns though... those were a real danger. They could gore through anything, it looked like. A strange sensation filled his throat and he made a noise akin to a nervous swallow.

"Okay... now how to go about this..." Tsuranuki muttered. He didn't want to take a risk in just charging in. Not since he had no clue as to what this thing could do.

His optics roved over the bull before it suddenly roared and charged at him. A scream tore itself free from his vocalizer as he backpedaled, slipping on his treads and falling flat on his butt. The bull was bearing down on him and he rolled to the side, the _shinkansen_ armor on his leg getting clipped. A sensation of pain radiated out from the point of impact and he grunted as he looked down at it.

A small gash was present on the armor. It wasn't too noticeable, and it could easily be repaired.

Tsuranuki scrambled to his feet, clenching his fists and looking down at them. The shovel guards glimmered, and an idea came to his processor. He clenched his fists tighter as he watched the bull start to come around. "Okay, creep! Come and get some!" he roared.

He let out a bellow as he thrust his right fist forward, his blow connecting solidly with the bull creature, sending it staggering back as it shook its head, a black and red Aura forming around it..

Wait, an _Aura?!_

He growled in the back of his vocalizer as he eyed the creature. Something was wrong. He knew that some people possessed the ability to turn into animals due to their Semblance, but this was the first time he ever heard of one that could do this, make someone who was already in an animal body stronger and larger. Unless it had to do with...

Tsuranuki had to wrack his processor as he recalled several members of Satyra who were close to them. In fact, one of them was perhaps the most dangerous, as he was a backer and father of one of their lieutenants. And now that he thought about it, he did recall reading about the man and his Semblance when he went on a rampage in London a few years ago. The situation had been about the same, with the man becoming a bull and then becoming larger due to his rage and anger.

"Rage of the Bull..." he mused. "Frederick Jones, Sr... Am I right?"

The bull creature didn't answer. But the way it looked at him was indicative that it _was_ Mr. Jones. The eyes were hard, and in them he could see human intellect.

The bull - Mr. Jones, actually - charged at him, horns lowered to gore him in the chest. Tsuranuki reacted on instinct, throwing up his arms as his Aura flared, covering his entire frame as the horns made contact. While he didn't sustain any damage, he _was_ sent flying from the impact. A cry of surprise escaped his vocalizer as he landed flat on his back, the wind knocked from his intakes. He sat up, groaning as he did so. "Okay... Maybe that wasn't such a good idea..." he muttered.

"_You need to stop just charging in, Tsuranuki,_" Mr. Hayasugi said over his internal COMM system. The very feeling of having someone literally speaking inside his head made him shudder a bit, but he brushed it aside as he got to his feet.

"Then whaddya expect me to do?!" Tsuranuki shouted. "I'm totally unarmed!"

"_Just calm down and think!_" Hokuto urged.

"All right! Just tell me how to beat this guy!" the _Shinkalion_ snarled.

"_I'm afraid you're on your own with that one, Tsuranuki,_" Hokuto said seriously. "_I'm not sure as to _how_ to beat him._"

Tsuranuki growled as he looked around, but in the middle of the capture field, there were no weapons for him to use. All he had was his bare fists. "C'mon... I need an idea here..."

Mr. Jones let out a roar as he charged at the _Shinkalion_ again, prompting a yelp as he leapt back into the air. He was surprised at how high he could jump now. The power of his hydraulics was astonishing, to say the least! He landed atop one of the rails and looked down over his shoulder as the Faunus-turned-bull came to a halt at the edge of the platform, snorting in rage at his prey having escaped his attack.

The _Shinkalion_ turned and wiggled his hands on either side of his head, making the bull bellow in fury and back up, only to halt itself as it seemed to realize where it was. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stood up, trying to think of ways to beat this man. "Hmm..."

The Faunus-turned-bull snorted as he shook his head, glaring at Tsuranuki as he watched with his arms crossed. "Maybe..." He then shook his head. "No. That won't work. I don't have any cable or anything like that..."

"_Tsuranuki?_"

"What? I'm trying to think here!" the _Shinkalion_ snapped.

"_I know. But we're running out of time. We need you to defeat this thing before going after the Grimm in Fukushima,_" Hokuto reminded.

"Would go a lot faster if I had a weapon!" he snarled.

Before Hokuto could answer, a loud bellow caught his audio and he looked down, shock suddenly surging through his new systems as he saw the bull lowering its head... and horns made of Aura energy fired from its regular horns right for him! "GAH!"

Tsuranuki sprang off the rail he was on and landed on another, only to break out into a run as he tried to dodge a few more energy horns launched his way. "Since when did he get this ability?!" he groaned.

"_I'm not sure, but I assume this is part of his Semblance,_" Hokuto cautioned. "_You have to find a way to take him down and soon, because if those keep up, the field will collapse, and that's not the outcome we want!_"

"Okay! I'll do it!" Tsuranuki yelled. He turned and faced the platform before leaping off, his powerful hydraulics giving him the jump distance needed to land on the platform farther away from him. He landed and spun around, holding his fists ready in a boxing style.

However, that wasn't going to do much against a bull with an Aura. He needed a weapon. Something he could use to his advantage. Something that could penetrate that Aura. Something...

Something like a drill.

A drill that could punch through almost anything.

The Faunus-turned-bull bellowed as he lowered his head, Aura energy seething into his horns for a penetration. Tsuranuki's optics glowed as he braced for the collision.

Only he didn't expect it to come. He instead raised his hand, unsure of what he was even doing. He clenched his hand on thin air, feeling foolish for even _imagining_ he had a drill in his grasp. However, that proved to be the key he needed.

A flash of light filled his optics, making him turn his head away. As quickly as it came, it vanished...

Leaving Tsuranuki with a weapon. He slowly turned his helm back to his outstretched arm, and he gasped in shock at the weapon he now held.

In his grasp was a drill, but not one he was familiar with. Part of it looked like the wheel set on the _shinkansen_, connected to a hilt and gears. The drill part itself was silver with gold accents, and his hand was clenched tightly around the trigger grip for it. He could feel the trigger itself beneath two of his fingers, and he experimentally pressed it. The drill began to spin slightly and he let off the trigger. "The hell?!" he breathed.

"_Ah. Good. That's your weapon, Tsuranuki,_" Hokuto explained. "_The Wheelset Drill. It's good for close combat, and its tip can penetrate through just about anything. So use it wisely._"

"Oh... I intend to!" Tsuranuki growled as he brandished it, taking up a fighting stance. "This I can use!"

With that, he charged at Mr. Jones as he bellowed in rage. The _Shinkalion_ raced forward, his drill held out in front of him as he spun it up. However, he missed as he thrust it forward, only for his feet to slide out from under him due to his treads. He landed flat on his chest, only to flare his Aura as Mr. Jones ran him over - literally. While he didn't get much damage, his Aura was starting to weaken.

Warnings flashed across his vision.

**WARNING!**

**AURA LEVELS AT 92%**

**DAMAGE: COSMETIC**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 34 HOURS**

'_Shit... I gotta be more careful,'_ he thought as he got to his feet, shaking his helm. '_If only these stupid treads didn't cause me to slip... Wait..._' He shot a glance down at his feet, and he slowly took a step. His treads spun a little, and he almost slipped if he didn't stop them. '_I think I get it! The treads activate when I need to move fast! But if I can just lock them when I don't need them, then it could work!_' He imagined the treads locking in place, nd he felt something in his ankles shift, locking them into place. '_Okay. I got that part down. Now... let's see..._' He tried to will them to unlock, and he felt that same sensation, but in reverse.

He didn't have much time to even practice this as he was forced to leap back as Mr. Jones came at him again. Tsuranuki landed on his feet close to the edge of the platform and he looked down, seeing the bottom of the capture field.

He gulped nervously. '_Okay... how am I gonna get outta this one?!_' he thought in worry.

The _Shinkalion_ turned back to face Mr. Jones as he came around, his horns lowered to gore him through the lower torso. He hefted his drill and aimed it, a desperate idea forming in his processor. "I hope this works...!" he muttered as he braced himself. He spread his legs and crouched, willing his treads to activate. He pressed the trigger for his drill at the same time, and he felt himself jolted forward by his treads. He could feel the whirring tracks against the ground, and he was forced to suppress a shudder as he kept his gaze fixed on Mr. Jones' bull body. "Hope ya like shish kabob! Because that's what's being served on the menu!" he bellowed.

The two collided, Tsuranuki's drill pushing into Mr. Jones' Aura, trying to penetrate through it. An Aura monitor popped up in the lower left hand corner of his vision and he noticed it was detecting a decrease in the Aura of the Faunus-turned-bull. It was significant, and he felt a sense of hope fill his chest as he pushed harder, willing his treads to go faster. A roar escaped his vocalizer as he thrust his drill forward, Aura streaming off of it. "RAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Mr. Jones was caught off guard by this as he pushed back, but his momentum was canceled by the _Shinkalion's_ efforts, which made him bellow in surprise and shock as he was finally pushed off the edge of the platform, his Aura fading from around his body as it depleted. He also started to shift back to his human form.

A sense of terror flooded Tsuranuki's frame as he saw this. The capture field had reached its limit and was about to go down, and he was left with only one choice. He crouched and leapt off the platform, diving right for the bull Faunus. As his body returned to its natural state, Tsuranuki thrust his free hand out as he approached. "Grab my hand!" he cried.

Mr. Jones shot him a scathing glare, only to curl into a ball and fall faster. "NO!" Tsuranuki cried, trying to grasp him. But he was falling faster, and he was out of his range. The capture field vanished, and Tsuranuki could see the city below, with people pointing up at him and the falling Faunus.

The _Shinkalion_ put his arms against his sides and he fell faster, his optics locked onto the man before him. Once he was within range, he spread his arms and legs to slow his descent and he reached out, this time grabbing Mr. Jones before he fell out of range. "Gotcha!"

Despite the bull Faunus being a backer of Satyra, he had been taught in his training that everyone deserved a chance at life, even if they were the worst of the worst. He didn't know why, but he just felt like it was right.

Tsuranuki finally landed on the ground, making a loud _crash_ as he made impact. His frame was shaking slightly from the sudden stunt he had just pulled, but at least he was alive. He looked at his hand, noticing the bull Faunus was struggling to escape. "Nice try, but you're not going anywhere," he remarked as he set the man down as authorities began to swarm around him. With that taken care of, he turned and ran for it, approaching the rail lines and shifting into his _shinkansen_ form before speeding away, unaware that the bull Faunus wasn't even being arrested. The police were more or less checking him to see if he was unharmed, seeing as how he had just been saved by a giant train robot.

"How was that, Director Hayasugi?" he asked.

"_I would've preferred you to finish the fight before the field reached its limit, but.. overall, it was a good start,_" Hokuto replied.

"Next time I'll try to finish it sooner," Tsuranuki said. "That's about all I can do."

"_It'll have to do. Now, get going towards Fukushima. There's a Kaiju Grimm there that's about to wreak havoc on the powerplants._"

"On my way!"

The sleek train sped down the line, heading in the direction of Fukushima.

* * *

**PROJECT: SHINKALION**

**FILE 1-X01**

**UNIT: E7 KAGAYAKI**

**HEIGHT: 26.0 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 110 TONS**

**COLORS: BLUE AND WHITE WITH GOLDEN YELLOW LININGS**

**OPTIC COLOR: GREEN**

**WEAPON: WHEELSET DRILL**

**EQUIPMENT: TREADS AND SHOVEL GUARDS**

**DRIVER: TSUNARUKI DAIMONYAMA**

**AURA COLORS: BLUE, WHITE, AND GOLD**

**CLOSE TERMINAL? Y/N**

**Y-E-S_**

**TERMINAL CLOSING...**


	6. ENGAGE

"Hmm... So... that's their new project, hm?"

Sammael tented his fingers as he observed through a Seer the new mechanoid as it finished transforming.

He had to admit, Japan was quite desperate if they were to resort to such things. And such measures.

A smirk crossed his lips. "And that is why I find humanity so... interesting... at times. They can prove to be quite creative and full of ingenuity when confronted with something like the Grimm Kaiju..."

"_So what? It's a train that can turn into a mecha. Big deal,_" Moloch snorted from the shadows.

"Relax, Moloch. I aim to see just what they are capable of... once all have been assembled of course," Sammael purred. "And I know you're just itching to get some payback at those who bested you before..."

Moloch growled as he tensed.

Sammael merely waved a hand. "Once all six are assembled, I want to see how well they can perform in the Darklands. So... whichever one I get... you can test them and see how well they do. Think of it as a way to heal your wounded pride, Moloch."

The Beast of Darkness pondered his proposal. "_But only if I get to pick which one!_" he remarked. "_And I expect it to be followed._"

"Fair enough, Moloch." Sammael sneered as the Beast melted away into the shadows. "Fair enough indeed."

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: CAPTURE FIELDS_**

_Developed by Japan's Space Agency in early 2001, The Grimm Containment Field, as it is officially known, has been a key part in Japan's arsenal against the Grimm. These fields are used to contain the fights so as to reduce the collateral damage to Japan's infrastructure. As an island nation, Japan has limited resources and has to rely on imports to get most of its materials for construction. So it made sense to Japan's Prime Minister and the SDF to have a method to contain the fights._

_The fields work by using matter manipulation nanotechnology, a derivative of the technology used to refine crystalized Dust and make it into powders. The nanotechnology adjusts the atoms in the air to form a semi-permeable energy field that can be manipulated to however the situation demands it. The interior's nanomachines usually form a platform on which battle can take place, and there is always an entryway above the center of the platform for Hunters to drop in. Dropships can also enter the field through this entry point._

_The field's energy barrier itself is semi-permeable, so it can let in air and take punishment. The barrier can also be sealed to make it a near vacuum state, with all the air sucked out so as to prevent some Grimm from using fire-based abilities. The field can be expanded and contracted as deemed necessary, however due to its limits, it can't be expanded beyond its maximum capacity, lest the field lose its cohesion and shut down._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"The term capture can mean many things. Like when someone captures the heart of someone else. Or when a soldier captures an enemy base or soldier or supply dump." The figure from before leaned in, their glasses flashing in the light of the monitor.

"Or it can mean capturing a hostage, or even a criminal. All in all, it's what you make of it. Does this capture _your_ attention, yet?"

* * *

**CHAPTER V - ENGAGE**

Fukushima.

The place where the Earthquake happened.

As well as the location where three of the six reactors melted down.

Already Tsuranuki was dreading even going there.

The mere thought of being in the same area as where the disaster had happened was enough to make his frame shudder against his will.

"_Tsuranuki! Stay focused!_" Hokuto cautioned over the COMM line. "_Do you want to derail yourself?!_"

Tsuranuki yelped. "Sorry!" he exclaimed. He forced the thoughts of the disaster from his processor as he approached the site.

He finally applied his brakes, coming to a stop. "_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

He felt the telltale transformation from his _shinkansen_ form into his more humanoid shape, and as soon as he was on his own two feet he rolled his shoulders, trying to adjust. He still wasn't used to this whole thing, and it frankly unnerved him.

Now that he was close to the area, he made his way to it on foot as the rail line didn't head towards the power plant in question. As he walked, he scanned around for any sign of the Grimm. "You sure there's one here?" he asked.

"_The radar picked it up some time back,_" Hokuto replied. "_It should be there. We did fire a capture field at it._"

The _Shinkalion_ snorted. '_That would explain it then,_' he thought. But at the same time, it didn't make any sense as to why a Grimm would be _here_, of all places. Sure they tended to surface in other areas as well, but that was for the more minor Kaiju-class. The major ones _always_ surfaced near Tokyo. Such as Mothra. So then, if there was a Kaiju-class way out here, was it minor? It didn't seem right to use a capture field on a minor one. Those could easily be taken out by Huntsmen and Huntresses. Unless there was something they were keeping hidden from him? He was tempted to ask, only to disregard that at once. He could get answers later. Right now, he had a mission to complete.

Tsuranuki slowly made his way towards the remains of the nuclear power plant, his optics scanning for any sign of the capture field. He had already figured out that it had a unique energy signature due to the nanomachines that made it up, or something like that. He wasn't entirely too sure about the physics behind it, but he got the gist of it. It was like engineering, in a sense, but with nanomachines.

His optics finally picked out the faint rippling in the air, and his sensors matched it to that of the capture field. Now that he had found it, he needed to get inside.

"Okay. I found it," he remarked. "Now, how do I get inside?"

"_Leave that to us,_" Hokuto said. Tsuranuki was confused as to what he meant. The energy rails he knew were a way to get inside, but since he was off them, how was he supposed to get inside!?

The next thing he knew, his sensors alerted him to changes in the energy field. He looked up, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from, only to yelp as he saw what appeared to be energy stairs forming from the field itself. "The hell?!" he blurted, leaping back a bit.

"_Don't worry. Those are just stairs created from the nanomachines of the energy field. They'll hold your_ weight," Hokuto explained as the stairs finished forming, making contact with the ground. Tsuranuki eyed them warily and slowly stepped closer to the first step.

He reached out a foot and put it on the energy platform, half expecting it to pass through. But much to his surprise, he could feel the platform as solidly as the ground beneath him. He placed his full weight on his foot, and then tapped it a few times. "Huh. Didn't expect this," he muttered as he stepped fully onto the staircase. He looked up at the field and swallowed nervously.

Slowly, he began to walk up the stairs. He could feel his frame shaking, and within his chest, he felt something racing. Tsuranuki paused, looking down at his chest, his hand drifting up and laying itself upon the armor there. It felt... weird. Like something was humming... Was it a reactor? Or was it something else? He tried to figure out what it was, listening to it. Now that he was listening, it sounded familiar... Like an engine. A powerful one, too.

That was enough to make him shudder a bit. He had an engine in his chest, keeping him alive, much like a heart would.

"_Tsuranuki? You okay?_" Hokuto asked, his voice holding a tinge of concern.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Tsuranuki replied as he looked back up at the capture field. He let his hand fall away from his chest as he continued walking. "Just... still trying to adjust to this whole thing."

"_Well, you can worry about that later. Right now, we have to take out the Grimm that we contained. It's only a matter of time before-_" Tsuranuki cut him off as he waved a hand. "Yeah, I know. Matter of time before the field collapses. I get that."

The cat Faunus sighed over the COMM. "_Right. So... you ready for round two?_"

Tsuranuki felt that strange sensation in his throat as he gulped. "Ready as I'll ever be..." he muttered as he increased his walking pace.

It took him only a few minutes to reach the walkway sticking out of the field. He gulped as he reached a hand out, feeling that tingling as it passed through the barrier. He pulled his hand out and flexed it a bit before he looked to the barrier. He steeled himself and stepped through.

It felt like passing through a rain shower. He had to cover his optics with his hand to keep himself from being blinded. As soon as he passed through, the tingling sensation faded from his frame and he lowered his hand. He wasn't surprised to see the interior of the capture field, as it resembled the one he had beaten Mr. Jones in. But what stood in the middle of the platform was not a bull.

The creature roaming the platform resembled an enlarged version of a Boarbatusk, but at the same time it was different. For one thing, its tusks were much larger, and its entire body seemed to be bulkier in terms of muscle mass. The armor was also thicker, and a scan of it told Tsuranuki that it stood at around twenty seven meters in height. Just a slight height difference, he mused as he headed onto the pylon supporting the platform.

The Grimm looked in his direction, and a shiver raced down Tsuranuki's spinal struts. Those red eyes were always unnerving. Especially seeing as how this Boarbatusk had _six_ of them compared to the usual four. The Grimm also had on its back a few spines, and that made the _Shinkalion_ tense. Something about this seemed wrong. There was no way a Boarbatusk should have had those features. He gulped nervously as he began to inch his way up to one of the rails encircling the interior of the field.

The Boarbatusk looked in his direction, watching him as he started to circle around, trying to be wary and cautious. His frame was tense, and he swore his engine was racing as he clenched his fists. "Geez... What is this thing?" he muttered.

No one answered. He was on his own.

Tsuranuki tried to contact Hokuto, but his systems informed him that communications were down for the moment. "Dammit..." he muttered.

The _Shinkalion_ shifted his stance as he started to inch sideways towards the ramp leading up to the rails, keeping an eye on this new Boarbatusk as he did so. "..." He was silent as he watched it, only to startle as the thing rushed at him, its tusks glinting in the light from the capture field. He raised his arms and summoned his Aura, feeling encompass his frame in seconds. That was all it took to have the Boarbatusk... no, the Giga Tusk - ram into him. A cry escaped his throat as he was sent flying, landing on his back as he groaned. Tsuranuki grunted as he forced himself into a sitting position, only to roll to the side as the Grimm came back around. His leg armor was barely clipped, but it was enough to make him worry. He checked his readout, noticing that the gauge for his Aura was starting to deplete. '_Shit... I gotta be extra careful!_' he thought as he scrambled to his feet.

He held out his hand and willed his drill to come.

A flash of light filled his optics briefly before it faded and he was holding his Wheelset Drill in his grasp. He brandished it and held out his free hand as he adopted a fighting stance. His optics gleamed as he thrust the drill forward, pressing the trigger as he did so.

The drill spun up as the Giga Tusk shifted, adjusting its position so its facial armor took the blow, deflecting the tip of his drill with a shower of sparks. Tsuranuki gasped as he saw that, and his optics flashed in shock. "The hell?!" he blurted.

The Grimm bellowed as it charged, its head lowering and slamming into his lower torso. Had he been human, he'd have lost his lunch. The Giga Tusk tossed its head and he screamed as he was thrown over the beast's back, landing on his chest behind it. Tsuranuki groaned as he pushed himself to his hands and knees, feeling a dull throbbing in his lower torso. He rolled over onto his back, his hand laying itself on his lower torso armor, feeling a slight dent in it. "Man... Gotta remember to use my Aura next time..." he rumbled as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He looked up at the Giga Tusk as it started to come back around, and he scrambled to his feet, bracing himself as he brandished his drill. He knew from reading up on the Grimm that thw Boarbatusk had a weak spot on its underbelly, but this thing looked like it didn't have that spot.

'_Shit... There's no weak spot..._' he thought as frustration built in his systems.

Tsuranuki flashed his optics as he crouched and as the thing came back around, he leapt up, allowing it to charge underneath him and he laughed a bit as he willed his drill into storage. It vanished from his hand and he flipped, landing on the Giga Tusk's back. He crouched down and grabbed onto the bone-like armor with one hand before he shifted, letting his legs fall on either side of the beast. He poked and prodded with his feet to find purchase, and he jabbed his feet into a pair of gaps on its side bone armor. His strong metal fingers groped for the neck armor of the Giga Tusk and he stuck them into the gaps he found, making sure he had a firm hold on it.

He suddenly felt the Giga Tusk buck beneath him and he cried out as he was jostled, but he kept his grip on the Grimm's back. "WHOA!"

It took all his strength to just remain on the back of this thing. He hunched over, spreading his arms to try wrap them around the Giga Tusk's thick neck. He drove his thick metal fingers into the gaps lower, keeping a firm grip there as best he could. "Okay! This was a stupid idea!" he yelped.

"_Tsuranuki! What are you_ doing?!" the voice of Hokuto screeched in his head.

"Trying to get this thing taken care of! What does it look like?!" Tsuranuki shouted back. "And what - YIPE! - happened with the comms - GAH! - earlier?!"

"_There was a small glitch, but we got it fixed. Now, explain to me what gave you the idea to try and ride that thing!_" Hokuto demanded.

"I dunno! I was just acting!" the _Shinkalion_ yelled. He clutched the Giga Tusk closer, and at once he realized it was a bad idea as those spikes on its back suddenly snapped up, driving themselves into his armor as he summoned his Aura to deflect the worst of it. His vision flashed with a warning.

**WARNING!**

**DAMAGE: MINOR**

**AURA LEVELS AT 87%**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 30 HOURS**

He growled as he brushed the warnings aside and let go of the Giga Tusk, rolling off of it and checking his chest, legs, and arms for damage. All he sustained were minor scratches, but there were a few bigger ones. He looked up as the Giga Tusk reared and bellowed before slamming its hooves down on the platform. Tsuranuki summoned his drill once more and held it off to the side. "Okay... I need a plan here!" he muttered.

"_Get up higher for now!_" Hokuto ordered.

"I was about to when the thing charged me!" Tsuranuki growled.

He crouched and leapt up, using his powerful hydraulics to jump much higher than a human. He landed atop one of the rails and looked down at the Giga Tusk as it glared at him, those red eyes flashing. Tsuranuki flared his optics in response before he held up a hand and flipped the bird at it.

"_Not a good idea..._" Hokuto muttered crossly.

Tsuranuki was confused, only to realize what the director meant as the Giga Tusk lowered its head and suddenly _launched those spikes_ right for him! He screamed as he turned and ran as fast as he could, his metallic feet pounding the rail. The spikes struck the barrier's paneling, and he heard an alarm blaring somewhere inside. "What's happening?!" he cried.

"_Those spikes have reduced the capture field's structural integrity!_" Hokuto responded. "_That's the thing with these fields. If they run out of energy, or if their structural integrity is compromised in any way, then they go down. Once it reaches twenty-five percent structural integrity, then it has to shut down its optical camouflage to try and keep itself going. If not, it shuts down altogether._" His voice was hard, and Tsuranuki swore he heard the director gritting his teeth. "_Now do you get why we have to finish this quickly?_"

He nodded, realization starting to fill his processor. "Yeah. I think so."

"_Then that's why we need it to be finished swiftly._" Hokuto paused before continuing. "_So finish it as quickly as you can. And be careful. Something about this Kaiju Grimm seems off._"

"I noticed that too," the _Shinkalion_ replied.

"_Be careful, Tsuranuki..._" The COMMs closed and he turned his attention back to the Giga Tusk.

Tsuranuki tensed his frame as he held his drill up in front. "Okay... let's see how this pig likes to be stuck on a roaster!" he muttered.

He suddenly sweatdropped. "Okay... maybe that was a bad pun..."

The Giga Tusk reared back and bellowed before lowering its head and charging at him. Tsuranuki grunted as he leapt to the side, landing on his knees and skidding to a stop. His optics flashed as he watched the Grimm come around and skid to a stop, those spikes snapping up and firing at him again. The _Shinkalion_ flared his Aura, using it to shield himself from the impacts of the spikes. He felt the tips bouncing off it as the barrage forced him back, closer to the edge of the platform. He shot a glance over his shoulder, remembering the last time he was in such a situation. "Oh, Glob... Now what'll I do?!" he moaned.

He had no answer. The Giga Tusk stopped its spike barrage and he slowly lowered his arms and drill, which he had been using as a makeshift shield. He slowly peeked around it, and then he swore his engine leapt into his throat and he gulped in terror.

The Grimm's eyes were flashing red as it crouched, and its body began to ripple with raw power as it charged. A loud bellow escaped its throat, this time taking on a form he knew from having seen the Goliaths in action more than once: a sonic attack. Tsuranuki tensed and ducked behind his drill again as his Aura shimmered. He had to brace his legs, and he activated his treads in a desperate attempt to keep himself from being blown off the platform. However, it didn't do much good, and he was thrown back by the sheer force of the shockwaves.

He screamed as he was thrown off the platform, his drill falling from his grasp.

As he fell, his life flashed before his optics. He could see everything... Including his family.

He... had failed...?

'_No... No! I can't! I can't fail!_' he thought. His optics began to burn a fiery green as he clenched his fists. '_I can't! Not... Not like this! Not when people are counting on me...! And especially since Hayato is in danger! I won't give up!_'

Tsuranuki shouted out as loud as he could as he flipped his frame around, placing his feet down as he tensed for impact. His Aura began to seethe as he channeled it into his hydraulics. His metallic feet made contact with the energy barrier, and while he felt it give slightly, he didn't stay as he sprang into the air off of it, his hand clasping itself around his drill as he caught it. "RAAAAAAAH!" A battle cry tore itself free from hsi vocalizer as he thrust his drill forward, spotting the Giga Tusk in front of him on the platform.

His drill glanced off the armor, leaving a spark trail, but he spotted something else.

A gap in the armor. Not very big, but enough for him to do some damage. He directed his drill towards it and he thrust the tip into that gap.

A loud squealing came from the Giga Tusk as his drill spun deeper into that black, oozing flesh. A dark chuckle escaped him. "Now _that's_ how to put pork on a spit!" he quipped. That one was much better, he mused as he thrust his drill deeper into the armor. Now bone shards were flying, and he had to shield his face with his free hand.

The _Shinkalion_ pulled his drill free and thrust it towards another gap in the armor.

Only for a limb to lash out and _catch the drill_ in its hand.

Tsuranuki screamed as the limb tossed him aside like he was just a ragdoll. He bounced off the capture field's barrier and collapsed to his knees on one of the rails, panting heavily. His Aura flickered before fading and his vision flashed with warnings.

**WARNING!**

**DAMAGE: MINOR TO MODERATE**

**AURA LEVELS AT 72%**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 29 HOURS 32 MINUTES**

He grunted as he looked up at the Giga Tusk, shock flooding his frame as he watched it stretching out, limbs forming from its fore and rear legs. Its tail seemed to become much stronger, and its limbs began to ripple with bone plate armor. It morphed into a more humanoid form, and its fifth and sixth eyes vanished as its tusks vanished into its mouth, becoming more like...

"Komo...Komozilla...?!" Tsuranuki rasped, his armor beginning to rattle against his metallic hide. "Oh... Glob...!"

"_This is bad..._" Hokuto muttered on his COMM system. "_I didn't think it would become this kind of thing...!_"

"What should I do?" Tsuranuki asked as he staggered to his feet, brushing aside the aches he felt in his joints. He could handle it. But for how long would the field last...?

He got his answer when the Grimm started to stand upright. Its full height was triple the Giga Tusk's height. An audible gulp escaped his vocalizer as he backed up, shaking in his armor. He was floored by how big it was. It towered over him in height, and it was much, _much_ bulkier than he was. The beast looked down at him and slowly raised a clawed hand, ready to drive it home.

Tsuranuki yelped and leapt to the side as the Grimm drove home those sharp claws into the platform, making it shudder and actually crack. "Shit!" he swore. The cracks began to spread, inching their way up to the ramps and then the field itself.

"_Tsuranuki! The field's collapsing!_" Hokuto bellowed in his head.

"Duh! I can see that!" the _Shinkalion_ snapped. "And I got an idea! This thing is above the old plant, right?"

"_Yeah. So_?" Hokuto was confused. "_What's that got to do with anything?_"

"If it's in the process of being decommissioned, then that means people aren't there! And if the reactors are still up..." He was already formulating a plan based on information he had seen on the process. It wasn't very much, but based on what he knew from his time in the family business and read in the newspapers, he was getting an idea of what he needed to do.

"_I think I see where you're going with this,_" the director replied. "_But whatever you do, try not to cause anymore damage to the facility than is already_ done!"

"I won't... at least I hope not..." Tsuranuki muttered as the COMM shut down. He ran back towards the main pylon, waving his arms. "Hey! Betcha can't catch me!" he taunted.

The Grimm growled as it stalked towards him, its heavy footsteps making contact with the ground and causing the cracks to grow even more. Tsuranuki looked down at them with worry in his optics. He only could wonder how much longer it was before the field collapsed.

Thankfully, he didn't have much longer to worry. The Grimm took one more footstep...

And then the field collapsed. The cracks expanded rapidly and then a massive shattering filled the air. It sounded like millions of glass windows were breaking, and he had to shut down his audio receptors to prevent them from being overloaded by the sound alone. The platform gave way beneath him and he was falling again. But this time he knew what he needed to do. He flipped his frame around so his feet were beneath him and he spread his arms and legs to try and slow his descent. He shot a glance down at the closest reactor, noticing how the crane closest to it was like a ramp. He adjusted his descent to align himself with the crane boom. His metallic feet made contact with it not even five minutes later and he was riding down it like a skater using their wheels to grind across a railing. He flipped off the crane boom and landed on the ground as the large Grimm slammed into the ground, creating a crater upon impact. He looked up, noticing how one of the reactors was just up to its chest. Maybe not good enough, but it would have to do, he mused as he hefted his drill.

The reactors were still being disassembled, but some of them were still intact.

And the one he was looking at was the only one still intact.

"Okay... hope this works..." he muttered.

He thrust his drill forward as he engaged his treads, hoping to drive it home into one of the gaps in its bone armor plating. The Grimm - no, Grimzilla, he decided - flashed its red eyes in response and whipped that bony tail around, slamming directly into him. Tsuranuki cried out as he was thrown back, slamming into the ground from the force of the tail slap. He skidded a few meters before coming to a stop, his Aura dissipating from the impact. He groaned as he forced his shaking frame into a sitting position, trying to ignore the aching in his joints.

He grunted as he forced himself to stand, his limbs shaking. He looked up, his optics pulsing in fury. "Okay... Gotta change plans. I can't just charge in there..." he muttered.

Grimmzilla looked down at him as it stalked closer, red eyes flashing. Tsuranuki gulped. The Grimm seemed to sneer as it towered over him. He shivered in his armor as the Kaiju Grimm opened its mouth and suddenly belched out a stream of _green radioactive fire_ at him!

Tsuranuki gasped as he threw up his arms, his Aura flaring as it covered his frame. The fire engulfed him, blinding him as he crouched. He could feel the intense heat as it licked at his armor. He didn't know how long he could stand against the flames. And it didn't help matters that his sensors were warning him of the intense radiation...

Wait. _Radiation_?!Hus

The _Shinkalion_ reacted much faster than he thought possible. He leapt to the side eith a speed he didn't recall having before. Tsuranuki only remembered leaping out of the flames and then finding himself near the closest reactor shell, his chest heaving as he panted heavily. He shot a glance down at his frame as his Aura dissipated. He did a quick scan to see if he had been contaminated.

The scan came back negative.

His Aura had kept him from being hit with the radiation from Grimmzilla's fire breath.

Tsuranuki turned back to look at the Grimm, trying to think.

"Okay. So looks like it has a long range fire breath attack. So in order to do some damage I gotta get in close," he muttered. "But those claws and that bone armor make it difficult."

His optics landed on the reactor shell close by. "And I gotta get this guy close to the reactor to take him down..."

Tsuranuki rolled his shoulders. "Well... time to do something stupid..." he muttered.

The _Shinkalion_ started to walk, his engine racing in anticipation of the coming fight. He wasn't sure if he could even win this one, considering how _big_ Grimmzilla was. But he had to do _something_ or else there was no way he'd be able to live with himself.

He made a noise akin to a nervous swallow as he hefted his drill in one hand. He crouched before he leapt up, and he thrust his drill forward as it spun up. Tsuranuki hoped his plan would work.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Sammael watched with amusement as his prey thrust that toothpick towards the Grimm. How foolish he was. There was no way he could penetrate that thick bone armor with just a measly drill.

His red eyes flashed as he watched the massive Kaiju Grimm let out that atomic breath, forcing the smaller mecha to dodge, landing atop one of the reactor shells and... waving his arms before he did a silly dance. He could only guess as to what he was shouting, but it apparently got the Grimm's attention. He chuckled a little.

"Such foolish antics... But at the same time, very ingenious to use the surroundings..." he mused.

He turned his gaze to Moloch who was observing this one with a keen eye. "..."

"Like what you see, Moloch?" he asked, bringing a Seer closer to the Beast. The eyeball flashed before it displayed a closer image of the mecha.

Moloch was silent as he took in the mecha with a calculating gaze.

The mecha was definitely broad in the shoulders and chest, although he appeared to be more lean than bulky, considering what he could turn into. His blue and white armor was scuffed and scraped, but otherwise remained pristine. His helm was the same shade as the armor on his legs, and he seemed to be moving with treads on his ankles, for added agility, no doubt.

But the presence driving the mecha was not quite up to his standards.

"_A clever mind. Built for power, from what I can see. Relies mostly on head-on charging. Not what I seek to put to the test,_" the Beast snarled. "_I can't use this one._"

"Very well. But rest assured... the others will come soon..." Sammael sneered as he snapped his fingers and the Seer floated away. "They always do, when it comes to projects like this."

Moloch rolled his eyes and slipped into the shadows. Only one would do. And he sought to find the right one...

* * *

**FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT RUINS**

A loud explosion rocked the area, a blur of blue and white slamming into one of the buildings. A large chunk of the building collapsed, leaving a hole in the façade. Beneath the rubble, the blue and white form of Tsuranuki shifted and thrust his drill into the air, clearing the rubble and allowing him to sit up.

Tsuranuki groaned as he sat up, rubbing his helm with one hand. "Ugh..." Warnings flashed in his vision.

**WARNING!**

**DAMAGE: MODERATE**

**SYSTEM DAMAGE: MINOR**

**AURA LEVELS AT 64%**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 18 HOURS**

"Dammit...! I'm getting trounced!" he muttered. He staggered to his feet, brandishing his drill as he looked up at the Kaiju Grimm. His optics flickered as he scanned it over. A small targeting reticle appeared in his line of sight and he swept his gaze over the armor plating. "C'mon... There's gotta be a weak spot!"

"_Tsuranuki, you okay?_" Hokuto asked over the comm.

"Yeah. But I can't seem to find a weakness, and I'm getting trounced!" the _Shinkalion_ remarked.

"_Everything has to have a weakness,_" Hokuto reminded him. "_It's just a matter of trying to find it._"

"But where is it?!" Tsuranuki moaned. The reticle in his sight danced from one opening to another, flashing red each time. "This guy doesn't have very large gaps in his armor!"

"_I can't help you there,_" the director remarked. "_I'm sorry. This is the first time such a Grimm was ever encountered by anyone._"

"For the love of...!" Tsuranuki staggered to his feet, his systems aching. "I _really_ think I need a new plan..."

He looked to the reactor he had attempted to use to trap Grimmzilla. The shell of the reactor was a mess, and the pit inside was filled with materials designed to capture the radiation and prevent it from escaping. That meant he needed a new method of stalling Grimmzilla, or at least detaining it long enough for him to find a weakness and do some major damage.

The _Shinkalion_ shifted his weight and scanned over Grimmzilla's hide once more. '_Glob... Please... I need some help here!_' he thought.

The next thing he knew, Tsuranuki's frame froze up. It was for the briefest of instances, and he thought he heard a voice inside his head. No. Not a voice. It was more like... a thought?

'_Go for the eyes..._'

The thought flittered through his processor, and he asked a question. '_The eyes?_'

But there was no response, and just as quickly as it appeared, the thought's presence was gone and he could move again. Tsuranuki looked down at one of his hands and flexed it, confusion flooding his optics.

'_What... happened back there?_' he thought. He cast his gaze back up, and his engine leapt into his throat as he gulped. The eyes... there were four of them. And he wasn't sure if he could even hit all of them.

Or wait... maybe he didn't need to get all. Maybe he only needed to get a hit on one eye! An idea popped into his processor as he cast his gaze at the tail as it swished and swayed. It was stupid, but at the same time, it was his best bet. He gulped before he broke into a run, his feet pounding the pavement as he ran. His drill spun a bit as he leapt up, landing on the tail.

He staggered a bit as it moved, but he managed to maintain his balance. Tsuranuki looked up, breaking into a run up the tail. Grimmzilla looked down at him and those red eyes flared before a beam of red light lanced out from one. He yelped and leapt to the side, continuing to run. A small part of him actually found this enjoyable, and he hated to admit it, but this was just like that last video game he played, _Gundrazer Recall_.

He ran up the tail, dodging the eye beams. Each one was a bit closer, but he ignored them. He could feel the heat on his armor as he ran, his optics flaring. "Okay! Time to give you an eye exam!" he cried.

The _Shinkalion_ ran up the tail as fast as he could, his drill spinning as he leapt up a few more times, this time driving the tip of his drill home full force into one of Grimmzilla's red eyes.

A loud screech of pain erupted from the beast as it staggered back, its clawed hands flying for its face. Black ooze seeped out of the wound like blood, followed by thick black smoke. Tsuranuki pulled his drill clean out of the gaping hole that had once been an eye and leapt back, landing atop one of the reactor shells and watching as Grimmzilla collapsed to its knees. He chuckled a little. "What? Got something in your eye?" he quipped.

He couldn't help it. Tsuranuki found this was quite... exciting. Sure he wouldn't be a Huntsman, but he was able to actually fight for once, and since he wore the frame of a mecha, he was much more durable. He sprang off the reactor shell, his drill spinning up for another impact. He thrust it forward, a roar escaping his vocalizer, driving it home into a second eyeball. Grimmzilla screeched and roared, throwing its head back as more black ooze and smoke streamed from its eye. He leapt off the skull and flipped his frame around, whipping his left leg out in a vicious roundhouse to connect solidly with the eye he had punctured. Grimmzilla staggered back, its foot catching on the remains of one of the main buildings. A screech of surprise came from Grimmzilla and it fell, its eyes widening. Its head slammed into the ground, and a loud _crack_ echoed over the area. Tsuranuki winced internally. That crack had not been good sounding. It meant that Grimmzilla had broken its neck.

He landed on the ground, looking up as his optics fixed on the remains as the body started to vanish into black smoke. He was panting heavily at this point as he dismissed his drill.

Once more text flashed across his vision.

**WARNING!**

**DAMAGE: MODERATE**

**SYSTEM DAMAGE: MINOR**

**AURA LEVELS AT 57%**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 10 HOURS**

"Shit... I gotta get moving..." he muttered. "I'm running low on power."

Tsuranuki turned and ran for it, heading back to the train tracks.

As he ran, he couldn't help but wonder about the Grimmzilla/Giga Tusk creature. Something seemed wrong. There was no way a Kaiju Grimm could have one form, and then shift to another. And for that matter, where did it come from? Why did it attack Fukushima, which was already a waste zone from the meltdown of the reactors? The radiation that seeped out had left people worried about the implications it had on the Grimm, and the studies that were done were usually inconclusive because of the fact that no one could capture a Grimm and analyze its DNA, which it didn't really have, just that black ooze.

Something just didn't seem right.

It was almost like the Grimm were... evolving... so to speak.

But how could that be? Grimm were mindless entities, with no soul, no intellect, and no Aura or hearts. It was like they weren't even sentient. Sure a few species could learn, but none of them had the ability to actively _think_ like humans, Faunus, or Mobians could. In his mind, all he could think about was how this could even be possible. It was impossible, according to all modern thinking.

Unless there was another aspect they hadn't considered...

And that alone was enough to make him shudder as he finally reached the tracks.

Tsuranuki shifted into his _shinkansen_ form and engaged his engine, speeding on his way back to Tokyo Station.

* * *

**TOKYO STATION**

Tokyo Station was silent as the sleek train pulled in several hours later.

Tsuranuki was exhausted, and that was saying something, given his current state of being. It was all he could do to stay online.

His vision was now blurring as he slowed, applying his brakes and coming to a halt. He was so tired... he just wanted to sleep...

Once he came to a complete stop, his vision went dark and his readouts shut down.

The next thing he knew, it was like he was... he couldn't explain it, but he felt like he was being tugged gently free, floating, drifting... He went with the flow, letting it guide him to an unknown destination. He flew down this unknown path, finally coming upon a small light. It steadily grew and grew in his vision, encompassing his sight until...

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

His eyes snapped open.

Tsuranuki gasped and doubled over, coughing as he felt something tugging against his head. His hand flew for it, and he slammed his forehead against this unknown restraint and a cover of sorts. Pain seared across his forehead as he whipped the unknown object off and his hand flew off to the side, slamming against something and then a hiss filled his hearing. Tsuranuki found himself flopping free of the 'bed' he was in, and he landed on his hands and knees, gasping as sweat streamed down his face. His heart was pounding in his chest, beneath his ribcage. Blood was rushing in his ears, and he looked at his hands beneath his face. His own human hands, flesh and blood. His shirt, his hair as it flopped over his face... everything.

He was human again.

"So I _wasn't_ dead..." he muttered. "I... I was just... removed..." He shook a bit. "What happened to me...?"

He had no idea.

He slowly staggered to his feet, shaking from the experience.

He needed answers.

Tsuranuki looked up, his eyes hardening. "Time to get some answers..." he muttered.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE:**_

**Name: Giga Tusk**

**Species: Kaiju**

**Class: Mega**

**Abilities: Spikes on its back can fire, and can act as a self-defense mechanism. Is capable of firing off a sonic attack.**

* * *

**Name: Grimmzilla**

**Species: Kaiju**

**Class: Mega**

**Abilities: Can fire eye beams and release atomic breath from mouth.**


	7. TRAINING

Tsuranuki frowned as he stood in the middle of Hokuto's office.

"So, I _wasn't_ dead, but just in a sort of... stasis?" he asked.

Hokuto nodded as he sat down at his desk. "Yes. More or less. In a sense, you were dead, but alive. The LinkPod, which was the pod you woke up in, is a device that transmits your very essence into the _shinkansen_ to use as your body."

"Oh... _That's_ how I was able to use my Aura..." the boy muttered.

"Yes. The LinkPod basically puts you on life support while your soul is away," the cat Faunus remarked. "And as a result, now only _you_ can use that particular unit."

Tsuranuki chewed his bottom lip as he pondered this. To be suddenly roped into a top secret military project... and basically being given a chance to help Japan survive this war? But at the same time, he was worried more about Hayato than anything. Then something came to his mind. "Sir... I have to ask."

"Hm?" Hokuto raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"This whole thing... that Grimm I faced earlier... what was it? And... how...?" His voice trailed off as he tried to ask the question. But he had so many questions it was hard to pick just one. "..."

"There are too many questions?" Hokuto asked, guessing what was on the teen's mind.

Tsuranuki looked up, surprised, and nodded. "Y-Yes..." he said softly. "There are just too many to ask." He finally looked down. "But one thing I do want to know is... why?"

"Why develop this in the first place?" Hokuto asked. "I already told you."

The teen was silent, but then he looked up. "Not just that. There has to be another reason. Something just doesn't seem right. It's... it's more than just as a symbol of hope, and a means to bolster the seal, right?" His eyes narrowed as he said this.

The cat Faunus was silent as he looked down, his eyes hardening. "More than you know..." he muttered. "However, it's all classified so only a select few even know of it. But what I _can_ tell you is that there are more threats than just the Kaiju Grimm out there, so we need to be prepared for them."

Now Tsuranuki was getting the idea. He wasn't as smart as some others he knew, but he did know when it came to the business of Hunters, there were rogues out there. But to hear there were more threats than just them and the Grimm? He could only hope that he hadn't gotten in over his head here...

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: _****_LIFE FORM RX_**

_Life Form MX is the designation given to the deceased robotic life form found on Iwo Jima, alongside the Metal Man. This life form bears a strong resemblance to the Japanese _shinkansen_ for its alternate mode, leading some to theorize that this was the basis for the creation of the_ shinkansen_ in the twentieth century. However, some have disputed this, saying that the idea was created long before the discovery of this life form. Life Form MX was determined to be part of a faction of similar entities, possessing a red robotic face on its chest. There have been remains found across the world, showing that perhaps other entities like Life Form MX existed thousands of years ago during the Forgotten Age._

_Life Form MX still has many secrets to uncover, though, as this is just the tip of the iceberg._

**_IWO JIMA METAL MAN_**

_The Iwo Jima Metal Man is an ancient war machine found beneath the sands of Iwo Jima, alongside Life Form MX. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, as this Metal Man has not been described in ancient texts or even uncovered until now. This has led the archaeological team to conclude that it may be the only one of its kind. Like Life Form MX, it possessed aspects of the _shinkansen_, but much different. It seems to bear a resemblance to a steampunk version of the _shinkansen_._

_This Metal Man has runes inscribed on its armor plating, and after having been deciphered, it was shown the runes were an instruction manual on how to construct more of the same type of war machine. One can only wonder who made this Metal Man, and why._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"The last thing we sometimes expect is to find out that some conspiracy theories are true. But are they really? Or is it just a trick to get you to think otherwise...?"

* * *

**CHAPTER VI - TRAINING**

The next few weeks were _hectic_.

In the aftermath of the Grimm attack, Tsuranuki was put through an intense training regiment to try and master at least the basic aspects of his _Shinkalion_ frame.

He had to spar against a few training robots that had been constructed for such a purpose, which often led to some disastrous failures, but also some humorous ones. The biggest problem he had was dealing with the treads on his ankles; those caused him to slip more times than he could count. His ability to walk and run had greatly improved, there was no denying that. He was also shown to be quite agile when he learned to use his treads without slipping on them. Then there was the matter of his balance.

Whenever he linked up to the E7 Kagayaki unit, he always found his balance off and he tripped over his own two feet quite often. He had to go through the process of linkup so many times it became second nature and when he finally didn't slip or trip up, he surprised even himself. He then was put through an obstacle course, which included crossing over wires that looked as if they wouldn't support his frame's weight. The purpose of this was to familiarize himself with his movement systems, as well as try to learn where his new center of gravity was located. He wound up falling off the wire more than once, but he finally managed to cross it without falling after two weeks of losing his balance.

He also had to deal with learning more about his alternate form's _shinkansen_ mode. Especially when it came to regulations and safety measures regarding the railways. That was enough to make his head ache for days. But it was, Hokuto told him, necessary, lest he cause an accident or break some form of regulation and wind up delayed because of it during a Grimm attack.

And actually, he got the gist of why it was needed. Every second counted when it came to Grimm attacks. The sooner he got to the site of battle, the sooner he could finish off the Grimm and get away before the capture field collapsed or ran out of power.

It also didn't help matters that Grimm sometimes showed up during his training. The Giga Tusk made a second appearance, this time near Sendai, and he was forced to deploy to finish it off. After his battle, he was lectured on what he could've done differently, and then put through a simulator to try and imrpove his battle style. The whole time, he paid close attention to try and improve. His first missions had been almost failures, if not for timely luck on his part or some kind of fluke. And Tsuranuki was not about to make the same mistakes again.

When it came time to study the Kaiju Grimm, he paid close attention to their weaknesses and strengths. He took notes. He was diligent in writing down some things that others hadn't noticed. And Hokuto was amazed at how much effort the boy was putting into his training and studies. He even did some extra training time in private. He was called down a few times for some quizzes or simulations to test his knowledge, and despite only having a month's worth of training and study, he passed the tests with high seventies.

His assessment was performed a few days after his last test, and when he got the word, he was surprised.

Tsuranuki had been cleared for deployment by the SDI's commander-in-chief.

And just in time, too...

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

The sun shone down on the interior of the training yard, a pair of girls scampering through its flora.

One of them wore a green sweatshirt and black pants with black and white sneakers, her hair hanging long and loose behind her, trying to keep pace with her companion. A grin crossed her face as she ducked behind a nearby tree.

Behind her ran her friend and adopted sister, Danielle 'Dani' Fenton-Phantom. Her appearance was very unique in that she had two hair colors, the left side being white and the left eye being green while the right side of her hair was black and the right eye was blue. She wore a ponytail to keep her hair out of her face and she was dressed in a pair of black slacks, a blue T-shirt and brown jacket. Her feet were covered white tennis shoes to complete the outfit.

And she was the one hunting Kuki Sanban, the heiress to Sanban Industries. Well, not so much hunting as trying to find her.

Especially as it was to try and help Dani increase her abilities to fight without her powers.

Yes, powers. Dani was in actuality a half-ghost, a special human with ectoplasm infused into their DNA. Dani was a very special case though as she was actually a clone of Danny Phantom, her male counterpart. She had been cloned by her so-called 'father' Vlad Plasmius to try and create a perfect half-ghost son, only to be saved by Danny. Now, after having been dragged here to this new world and after a frightening encounter that left her without many memories, she was trying to find her way in this world as well as make a name for herself.

Kuki clapped her hands to her mouth to try and squash a giggle as she watched Dani slink past, looking for her. "Hello?" she called. "I know you're here!"

'_You won't find me that easy!_' she thought to herself.

Or so she thought.

"Gotcha~!" Dani's voice sang.

Kuki looked up, her eyes widening as she spotted the girl perched in front of her. "How'd you find me?" she asked.

Dani smirked. "I heard your giggle."

"Darn!"

Both girls burst out laughing before a familiar voice cleared their throat.

The two turned as they saw Genki Sanban looking at them with a smile of approval. "I see your training has come far, Danielle."

"Yes, Lady Sanban," she said with a bow. "It's been helpful in so many ways."

"Yes. But now there comes a time when one must embark on schooling to refine their abilities, as well as become stronger in their knowledge and skill," the Demon Blade of the East explained. "So, I would like to embark on a small trip, if you don't mind, to a special place where you could learn even more about your skills."

Kuki's eyes widened as she knew what her mother was referring to. "You mean she'll be coming to Yamanouchi Academy?!" she blurted in excitement.

Genki's hard stare calmed her down though.

"Yes, Kuki. She will sometime in the near future be joining you and your classmates there," she repeated. "I would like you to at least see it before you make your decision," she added, glancing to Dani.

Dani couldn't help but squeal in giddiness as she hugged Genki tight.

The Lady of Sanban Industries smiled and returned it, although deep down she was worried about her future. And if she could even handle the training here. But if what she had seen was any indication, then she did have a possible chance at attaining some form of a future here.

The two girls obediently filed out after the head of Sanban Industries as they left the training yard. As they passed by some other members of the Family Guard, Dani couldn't help but be curious about something she had seen on the news recently. "Uh, Lady Sanban? Can I ask you something?"

Genki turned to look at her out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, Danielle?"

"Um... Recently on the news, I've seen things about Satyra, I think you called them, forming cells in Tokyo. Is that true?" the ghost girl asked.

The matriarch of the Sanban Family grew silent at those words. She turned to face her directly. "Yes. It is." Her words were grim as she stood in the middle of the hallway. She gestured for the two girls to follow her into her office close by. Dani was baffled. Why was this group so dangerous anyway?

Once inside her office, Genki closed the door behind her and the two girls sat down on the couch as the Lady of Sanban Industries took her seat at the desk. She tented her fingers in front of her mouth and leveled her gaze at Dani. "Yes. It is true. And, I can tell you have questions about them, yes?"

Dani nodded. "Yeah. Just why are they so dangerous, anyway? Aren't they for Faunus rights?"

"And that is where things diverge from the source of their cause," Genki clarified. "What Satyra wants is not Faunus equality, but Faunus _supremacy_. They see themselves as the rightful heirs to this world, and as such, seek to use violence to destabilize relations between humans and Faunus. They feel it is justified for their anger against those who see Faunus as subhuman and..." Here her eyes darkened. "...even delicacies."

The young ghost hybrid actually felt sick to her stomach. "But why would anyone even deem them as food?!" she demanded, standing up. "That's... that's just sick!"

"Yes. But it is, unfortunately, a way of life in some countries. While most have granted Faunus equal rights, others have not, and those countries that do business with them have earned their ire and wrath," Genki explained. "The actions they have taken have set relations back, although many groups, including independent think tanks, are striving to repair those relations between Faunus and humans."

Dani clenched her fists as she took a seat. "So... why are they setting up cells in Tokyo?" she inquired?

"That is one answer we do not have at the moment," Genki said seriously. "But rest assured, we will find it."

The girl bit her lip, unsure if she should even ask about the blue and white robot she had seen. For all she knew, it could've been a one time deal, like say a Hunter using a suit of armor. But that didn't explain how swiftly it had vanished.

No one had seen it since that day the bull Faunus rampaged in Tokyo.

"Something else is bothering you, Danielle?" Genki queried.

Dani eeped before she looked up. "Um, yes. It's just... after that bull Faunus rampaged in Tokyo, there have been rumors swirling on the SkyWeb about a strange robot... It was blue and white and had some kind of a drill on its right hand..."

For her part, Genki frowned. She knew who that robot was... or rather who was driving it. But she didn't wish to let young Danielle freak out at the thought, so she had to come up with a cover story. She pondered a few things to say before she decided on one.

"I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about," she said, feigning ignorance. "But if there _is_ such a robot, then I assure you we will do everything we can to find out as much as we can about it."

Dani shifted nervously. "But... is it friendly or not?" she asked.

"We will determine that as well," Genki assured her. She gestured for Dani to take a seat and the ghost girl did. "Now, is there anything else you wished to know?"

Dani shook her head. "No. I'm good," she said.

Genki stood up and walked over before placing her hands on the young girls' shoulders. "I only wish the best for you both. That is why I do what I can to assure your safety and education. I hope you can understand this."

"We do, Lady Sanban," Dani chirped.

Kuki nodded as she hugged her mother. Dani also joined in, and Genki smiled as she hugged both children close.

Of course, things were about to get very interesting that afternoon...

* * *

UNKNOWN LOCATION

* * *

_"..."_

_"I assume you are ready, then?"_

_"...As always."_

_"You know what to do, don't you?"_

_"Yes. If anyone tries to interfere, I am to capture them and hold them at bay until the boy can be recruited."_

_"If he can be recruited. He's shown an intense resolve to resist us. I fear he has been tainted by those filthy humans."_

_"So he cannot be saved by His Eminence, then?"_

_"No. He's too far gone. So we must, regrettably, exterminate him. It is the only way to prevent those humans from getting the upper hand against us."_

_"I see. 'Tis such a shame. His knowledge would've benefited us greatly."_

_"Yes. But it has to be done. For our objective and the future... We must end his life."_

_"Very well. I shall do as you ask, sir."_

_"And make sure that no one else learns of our presence. Least of all that... robot... that interfered last time..."_

_"Robot, sir?"_

_"A robot that can turn into a shinkansen."_

_"Ah... I have heard rumors, but so far I have yet to see this robot of which you speak."_

_"Well, if you do, then retreat. Do not let your pride blind you! I know how you think."_

_"As you wish, sir..."_

* * *

To Dani, seeing the famous Academy was something else.

Yamanouchi was well-known throughout the world, and it stood as a testament to how determined the people of Japan were to keeping the Grimm at bay. Having been around for far longer than any other Academy in the world, it made sense that it would be _the_ place for aspiring Hunters and Huntresses to go. Even international students were accepted.

Her eyes roved over the ancient structure, noticing how it looked to be a blend of old and new as some parts had been added on to over the years. Its gates were large and ornate, with images of dragons upon them and with them was the Imperial Chrysanthemum. The very building seemed to ooze with character and ancient wisdom, making it seem like it was a livign entity in of itself, even though it was not. The very atmosphere it gave off was testament to how long it had been around. And Dani was just floored by it.

Beside her stood Genki and her two daughters. They had seen and been here before, so it was not as impressive to them as it was to the young ghost hybrid. But it was still a sight to behold nonetheless.

"I see you are impressed," Genki mused with a small smile.

"And this is where I will be going?" Dani asked as she looked to the Lady of Sanban Industries.

She nodded. "Yes. But in the near future. Right now, you still have much to learn."

"I understand," Dani replied with a bow.

The foursome had just arrived in the area of the academy after a lunch in Tokyo, during which the history of the school was explained to the young girl. She listened with wide eyes as she told of how the Emperor's finest warriors had summoned Mount Fuji to act as a seal to the pool of darkness from which the Grimm had sprung. One of those warriors had carved the very academy from the rock itself, or so it was said, using his sacred blade to do so. Ever since then, Japan has had a veritable army at its beck and call near the entryway to this seal, acting as a guardian to prevent anyone from releasing the Grimm within. Of course, there were also other legends that surrounded this place, like the story of a large beast that was sealed within the mountain as well. But it was barely remembered, so it became lost to time.

The trip to the school was uneventful, although Dani had gotten a little too eager and almost went ghost if not for Genki calling her back so they could travel together. In all honesty though, she could hardly blame the ghost girl. She was just like a little kid, eager to explore and enjoy new things. She even asked about several of Japan's legendary Hunters, only to be told that they had died ages ago or had retired to recover after years of fighting an endless war, it seemed. So Japan was drastically low on people who could inspire the public to do good deeds or even take up arms against the Grimm.

Upon hearing this, Dani resolved to become one of those people, much to the pleasure of Genki and her children. As well as a hint of worry, though they kept this hidden from her. The foursome then made their way to the academy entrance, where they now stood as Genki began to explain to her the criteria for entering this prestigious Huntsman Academy. And young Dani was eager to begin as soon as possible so she could get in and start her training.

"Now, let us go and have a seat. I have some snacks for you to munch on before we continue," Genki said with a smile. Dani, Kuki, and Mushi all started chattering happily as the Lady of Sanban Industries set down the picnic basket she had packed before they left the estate.

The foursome sat down underneath a tree overlooking the main gate and walls, providing some shelter from the sun and a nice atmosphere for them to enjoy their treats. Dani plunged into the snacks first, pulling out a few boxes of pocky before handing them to the other two girls. They all began to enjoy their treats, chatting about prospective classes and potential ideas for new weapons for Dani if she was going to be attending the school with them.

Genki smiled wistfully as she remembered her own childhood, growing up and just being a kid. But in this world, that innocence was easily lost, either by Grimm or by rogue Hunters. It was not uncommon for some kids to go through cynical phases before finding what they were fighting for. Her gaze finally landed on a couple of kids close by, one of whom was a rabbit Faunus, and with her was a young boy who looked like he could be a ninja-in-training; ninja, she knew, were not uncommon, especially in this world.

Ninja in the aftermath of the Grimm awakening had proliferated, even spreading out to countries like Australia, China, Britain, and even America. Small clans that were formed expanded in the last one thousand years, some even becoming strong enough to form their own businesses as mercenaries or Hunters for hire by government officials or upper class members of wealthier nations. Some of those families even formed alliances with a particular ninja clan, calling upon them for services when in need of protection or to have a particular rival taken care of, or even to take out a particularly troublesome Grimm. Those clans often utilized their Aura and Dust in conjunction with ninjutsu, making them formidable adversaries in combat.

The thoughts were driven from her mind as the two kids walked over to the Sanban family and their guest.

"Oh! Are you two going to Yamanouchi?" Dani asked eagerly, only to be chided by Lady Sanban.

"Danielle, please. It is rude to ask that to someone you have just met," she said.

"Sorry," the ghost girl muttered as she bowed her head.

"Nah. It's all right," the rabbit Faunus said as she waved a hand. "We're not offended."

"Yeah. We were just checking it out. We don't actually go here, per say," the boy added as he smiled sheepishly.

"Oh! Forgive me! I forgot to introduce myself!" Dani bowed as the family stood up and bowed as well. "I'm Danielle, but you can call me Dani for short." She looked up and smiled. "With an 'i'."

"I am Genki Sanban and these are my two daughters, Kuki and Mushi," Genki said as she straightened up and gestured to her daughters.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the boy said. "I'm Shinobu Tsukiyama."

"And I am Miku Hatsune," the rabbit girl said.

"The pleasure is all ours," Genki remarked as she gestured for the two to sit. The kids looked at one another, then joined the foursome on the blanket. "So, what brings you here, even though you do not attend the school?"

"Just sightseeing," Miku said as she ran a hand through her light green hair.

"Yeah. I mean, the place is still impressive," Shinobu remarked as he held up his phone. He flipped through a few pictures before showing the group an image of a cluster of students training outside on a training ground with their weapons.

"Yes, it is," Genki remarked. "Are your parents around?"

The two nodded. "My mom's busy with my dad in a training regiment," Shinobu pointed out. "They're both ninja, so..."

"And my mother took me here so I could get some kendo practice in," Miku added. "There is a kendo studio not far from here. My old studio closed down for a few months due to a Grimm attack some time back."

"Ah. It is good to keep one's skills sharp, after all," Genki noted.

The group continued to chat for a while longer, and Dani was surprised to learn that their two new friends had initially applied to Yamanouchi, only to be rejected on the grounds that they weren't suitable Huntsman material for some reason. While they had been disappointed, they still strove to try and make a better world in whatever ways they could, and she had to admire their dedication. They, in turn, learned about her powers, which she was eager to show them, and they were floored by her abilities. In fact, Shinobu was the most fascinated by her ability to turn invisible and intangible, which he called the ultimate ninja technique. Dani giggled and adopted a ninja stance as she vanished, earning applause from Mushi and Kuki. Even Shinobu and Miku had a good laugh.

By the time the sun began approach the city skyline, Genki decided it was time for them to head back to the estate. Miku and Shinobu said goodbye to their new friends as their parents arrived and called their children back over. The two groups separated, intending on going their own ways, unaware of the individual lurking in the trees close by...

* * *

**SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

"Sir!"

Hokuto jerked as he looked up from the reports on his desk.

He wasn't too surprised to see one of the technicians coming in, but the look on her face signified trouble.

He frowned as he got to his feet and made his way down into the observation deck.

"What's the situation?" he asked as he took his seat at the main desk overlooking the banks of computers and technicians working at them.

"We got word from one of the agents in the field," she said, tapping away at her keyboard. She pressed a key and up came the main screen. Hokuto frowned as he saw what appeared to be a large shape moving through several trees, growing larger as it did so.

"Any idea as to what this thing could be?" he asked.

"No clue, sir. The agent can't get too close for fear of being spotted. But he does say that the shape is ape-like in build..." Her voice trailed off and Hokuto narrowed his eyes as he tented his fingers in front of his mouth.

This was bad. He knew of a few Faunus who had gorilla or ape-like qualities, but none of them had anything resembling this. A small part of him wondered if it was a gorilla Faunus with an ability similar to Mr. Jones', but there was no confirmation or reports of such a Faunus in the database on Satyra that the UN had compiled in the last fifteen years. Perhaps there had been one they missed? If so, then they needed to double down on their efforts to assemble the database.

His eyes flicked to the screen showing the location, and his eyes widened. "That's... That's near Yamanouchi!" he blurted.

"Yes, sir. And as you know, the rail lines don't run there. We'll have to activate a capture field if we're to get this particular entity before it rampages in the city," the technician replied.

"Too late! The thing's already in motion!" a second technician yelled as he brought up a second monitor. Hokuto's eyes widened even more as he saw just _what_ the thing was.

It was a gorilla in shape and form, but the eyes... the eyes were _not_ those of a typical gorilla. They were blue, and had within them an intelligence that was all too sentient. And this thing was _huge_ in terms of size. It roared as it pounded its chest, sending students and faculty, children and parents alike, screaming in panic. His eyes flicked over the monitor, and his skin paled as he saw two familiar children running with their families to safety. '_That's... That's Miku and Shinobu! What in Glob's name are they doing there?!_' he thought in terror. He stood up, about to grab the mike and put out the call for deployment, only to pause as he watched the gorilla reach out... lower its massive hand...

And grasp the two children in its fists.

"NO!" he blurted, his eyes wide in shock and horror.

Now he knew who this was.

Rumors had been circulating around work for months about a young gorilla Faunus who had gone missing weeks before he got assigned to Tokyo's SDI branch as part of Project SKL. The young Faunus had been named Goku Daiichi, and he was a sweet, kind soul who would never hurt a fly. His Semblance, King Kong Fury, was only used as a last resort because of the fact he lacked emotional control over his aggression when in that state. It basically let him grow into a huge ape-like beast, much like the fictional Gorilla Kong from the series of the same name. But now... to see his gorilla form was a sign that he was back... and working for the wrong crowd.

His eyes hardened as his hand flew for the mike. He grasped it and pulled it close. "Get the call sent out! Get the E7 deployed at once! We got a Satyra member on the loose, and we'll be needing all the strength we can get!"

* * *

YAMANOUCHI ACADEMY GROUNDS

* * *

He sneered as he heard the cries and screams of the filthy humans and tainted Faunus below.

A grunt escaped his torso as he sprang away from the school, trying to ignore the little pricks that they sent his way with their teeny little glows and toys.

The sheer power surging through his veins and muscles was enough to make him feel giddy. In some way, he had to thank that woman for opening his eyes to the truth of his people's plight. And now he was able to take revenge on them for being complacent in the mistreatment of his fellow Faunus.

He couldn't believe how much of a fool he had been. Thinking he was an equal... HAH! No Faunus was equal in this world. Sure they did have rights, but what did it matter when his people were consumed for sustenance in other countries? Such things had to stop, and only after humanity experienced the same kind of treatment at their hands would they truly be equal.

That was his only reasoning for joining Satyra now, and he clung to that belief like a lifeline.

He kept leaping away from the school, passing by the suburbs of Tokyo and entering the city proper. He was not too keen on taking up residence on the National Diet building, let alone the tallest skyscraper. Instead, his eyes landed on an icon he knew all too well. A sneer crossed his simian features as he made his way towards it.

Tokyo Tower.

A scream came from his left fist and he looked down at the two children he held in his grasp.

One of them was clearly a Faunus, and the other was just a filthy human.

No matter. He could use them as bait to draw attention to the might of Satyra.

He made his way towards the red and white structure, finally reaching it as the sun began to dip below the horizon. His feet curled around its base and he began to climb up the structure.

He glanced down as he saw people swarming out from the base of the facility, no doubt in an evacuation process. He could hear over the screams the faint wails of a siren and the voice warning people of a Kaiju attack and to find the nearest exit in an orderly fashion.

A roaring laugh escaped him at the thought. As if! Humans were not orderly. They were chaotic creatures that did not deserve to rule this world. Only the Faunus had that right. And only after humanity had experienced years, decades, of suffering under Faunus rule, would they be allowed to re-inhabit their former cities and homes. But until then, Faunus deserved to rule.

And only then would a new future for Faunus come about.

He threw back his head and roared.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**DEPLOYMENT CENTER**

* * *

Tsuranuki panted as he vaulted over a pile of pipes to reach the elevator shaft.

"Shit... Deployment already and I haven't even had dinner yet!" he grunted as he grasped a cable and slid down it.

The trip down didn't take very long, about two minutes at most. He landed on the bottom of the half-completed shaft and ran through the doors to the hallway leading to the pod room. He ducked inside and the door hissed shut as he ran to the pod he had woken up in. (The pod itself was blue, white, and had golden yellow lines on its side, so he knew it was his.) He got inside and the cover hissed shut as he heard the voice of Hokuto over the interior comm system.

"_Sorry for the sudden call, Tsuranuki, but this is urgent,_" he explained.

"Couldn't you at least let me have dinner first?" the boy grumbled as he fumbled for the helmet.

"_We'll make up for it next time,_" Hokuto promised. "_Right now we have to deal with the situation at hand._"

"Okay. So what's the deal?" Tsuranuki asked as he placed the helmet on his head. He leaned back in the pod as the linkup started. A gauge appeared on the helmet's visor, creeping towards full power.

"_We recently got reports of a large ape-like creature heading up Tokyo_ Tower," the director explained. "_We __have reason to believe that this creature could be the result of a Semblance, like that used by Mr. Jones._"

Tsuranuki remembered that. "Go on," he said, getting a bad feeling in his gut from the way Mr. Hayasugi's voice sounded so grave.

"_As you know, some Faunus and Mobians possess Semblances that, in some cases, can make them more animalistic,_" Hokuto continued. "_But i__n rare cases, like with Mr. Jones, they can take on a full animal body. These kinds of Semblances can enlarge their bodies, making them a rival to many minor Kaiju-class Grimm. So we've decided to call these kinds of Faunus Kaiju Fs for now until a more suitable name is chosen for them._"

"Kaiju Fs... I think a better name could be Faunus Ultras," the boy suggested. The gauge flashed at fifty percent.

"_That does seem to fit better..._" Hokuto paused as he pondered for a moment. "_Okay. Faunus Ultras it is._"

Tsuranuki gave a light chuckle before he became serious. "Anything else I should know?"

"_..._" For a moment, Tsuranuki wondered if Hokuto had cut the line, but then his voice came back on, and it was far darker than he had heard. A shudder crept down his back at the mere sound of it.

"_He has hostages... Both of them you may recognize..._" His voice trailed off as an image came up on the visor and Tsuranuki swore as he jolted upright in the pod... or at least tried to. The helmet collided with the top of the pod with a crashing sound, and the director yelled in shock.

"_Be careful! That equipment is sensitive!_" he cried.

"Sorry! But two of my friends have just been turned into hostages by that thing! How can I not be mad?!" the boy shouted.

"_I know how you feel, Tsuranuki. But please refrain from breaking the LinkPod,_" the director pleaded. "_I spent months building and calibrating it._"

"Okay." Tsuranuki took in a breath and let it out to calm his anger. He clenched his fists on the arm rests instead, leaving indents in the leather material.

The visor's gauge flashed at one hundred percent.

"_You're clear to deploy,_" Hokuto said.

Tsuranuki took in a breath and let it out again as he let his mind drift as instructed. He could already feel the tendril that linked him to the E7, and he grasped it. He felt that distinct tugging as his soul was removed from his flesh and blood body, and following the tendril, sped down the dark tunnel of oblivion.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI BRANCH**

**SHINKANSEN HANGAR**

* * *

The first thing he noticed was his lack of arms and legs.

Tsuranuki slowly focused his mind on the frame around him, and the readouts began to come online.

**UNIT: E7 KAGAYAKI**

**STATUS: ACTIVATED**

**DRIVER: TSURANUKI DAIMONYAMA**

**AURA: STABLE**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 36 HOURS**

**ENERGY LEVELS: 100%**

The words faded from his vision as his visuals came back to him, displaying the hangar bay where he and the other _shinkansen_ were stored. Already one of the tunnels was opening for deployment.

A shiver raced through him as he started up his engine for the very first time. The very process could not be described in normal human tongue, there were no words to accurately match what he was feeling.

The power he felt made him feel a bit ecstatic until he remembered the mission and his excitement turned into grim determination.

He revved his engine a few times and his frame shook from the motion. Hokuto's voice echoed over his internal COMM system as he waited for the light to turn green. "_Your destination is Tokyo Tower,_" he explained. "_We'll try to fire a capture field, but I don't know if it will work, given the strange activity that's been happening near the tower._"

"What kind of activity do you mean?" Tsuranuki asked, his voice now a deep baritone instead of his youthful human voice.

"_It's best you see for yourself when you get there,_" the cat Faunus stated. "_Just be careful._"

"Will do!" Tsuranuki replied.

The light on the signal turned green and he revved his engine once more before releasing his brakes. He put more power to his wheels and he moved towards the tunnel, increasing his speed as he did so.

"E7, all aboard!" he declared as he exited his parking station.

Within minutes he was in the tunnel and he flipped on his lights. He sensed the door closing behind him and he knew that he was now officially in business as a member of the SDI.

'_Hang on, guys! I'm on my way!_' he thought. He increased his speed and let out a blare of his horn.

* * *

EN ROUTE TO TOKYO TOWER

* * *

Dani was panicked.

Her eyes were wide as she pushed herself to full speed.

She couldn't believe it.

Her two new friends had just been captured by a humungous gorilla-like creature, and now it was heading up Tokyo Tower.

But how this could've happened didn't make sense. From what she knew, Shinobu's parents were ninjas, so surely they could've tried to help the two, unless they had been held back by Satyra members or Grimm or whatnot. (That second option seemed the most likely as Yamanouchi was located close to the seal, anyway, from what she had learned.)

And now they were both held hostage by that creature. But she was worried as to what it actually was. Was it a Faunus? A Grimm? A Kaiju Grimm? What?

Her eyes narrowed as she flew towards the tower, unaware of what was happening in the area around it.

The next thing she knew, there was a sudden tingling in her body and then she was... she opened her eyes and she was surprised to see that things looked... black and white... somehow. She came to a hover and quickly looked herself over. She was still the same, but why was she seeing things only in black and white? She blinked a few times before she shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She opened them again, but things were the same.

A loud scream caught her attention and she turned in shock to see the huge ape-like creature roaring as it held the two children in one hand. Her eyes narrowed as she flew towards it, powering up a ghost ray. "Hey, ugly! Leave them alone!" she cried, firing off the ray in a blast of green energy, which threw her for a loop. If everything else was black and white, why were her ghost rays still green?

She had no answer and she was forced to brush it aside as she fired off a slew of those rays at the gorilla beast as it tried to block the energy rays with its hands. But since it was holding both onto the tower and its hostages, there was no such luck. But the fact it wasn't even bothered by the ghost rays made Dani growl. Her eyes narrowed as she cupped her hands and began to channel her power into an enery ball.

"Okay then... How about this?!" she screamed, firing off a blazing greenish white beam from the orb cupped between her hands.

The gorilla beast looked at her and narrowed its blue eyes before a grainy grey Aura flared into existence and her eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

The beast seemed to sneer as the beam struck the Aura, dissipating on contact with it. "Dammit!" Dani swore. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to think of some way to save the two. With an Aura, that beast no doubt had some kind of defense against overshadowing, and her rays were useless against it. She needed a miracle.

And she was about to get one... in a very unexpected way.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

"We're set! Capture satellite is in place!" one of the techies shouted.

"All right! FIRE!" Hokuto roared.

The techie nodded and slammed his fist down on the button. "NOW!"

The director turned to watch the main monitor showing Tokyo Tower. His eyes narrowed as he swallowed a lump forming in his throat. If this worked... then they could actually save the two kids. If not... then they had to rely on Tsuranuki to save them. And his only hope was that it worked at this point.

* * *

**TOKYO TOWER BATTLE SITE**

* * *

Dani looked up as a glimmer of light caught her eye and she was surprised to see a speck of light in the sky.

Only it wasn't a mere speck.

It was a _laser!_ A friggin' _laser!_'

And it was headed right for them. She backpedaled in the air as the beam slammed into the air above the tower and the gorilla beast. What happened next was nothing short of baffling and surprising.

The very air seemed to _shimmer_ for some reason, and the more she watched, the more the black and white seemed to be returning to normal colors. She had no idea as to how or what had happened, and even if she did know, it would've baffled her regardless. Instead, she chose to focus on saving her newfound friends.

**This place where it's open and blue**

She charged at the gorilla beast again, this time summoning as much strength as she could for her next ghost ray. The beast looked at her and narrowed its eyes, only for that same Aura to flare and shield its face as she fired off three ghost rays in one burst. The rays bounced off or dissipated on contact with that Aura, which made her narrow her eyes.

"C'mon..." She wasn't sure if her strength would be enough against this thing, either.

At least until something unexpected happened.

**The time is drifting by. My precious time.**

The last thing she expected to hear was a train horn. And a loud one, too.

Dani cast her gaze around the battlefield, only to stare in shock at what appeared to be a _shinkansen_, but one that was _riding energy rails **in midair!**_

The bullet train had a blue stripe starting at the front and working its way along the top of the train to the rear engine, with golden yellow lines on the outside of the stripe and white across the rest of its body. On its side was a stylized 7 with lettering, and she wondered if it was for one of the rail lines in Japan. The train sped past her, and for a moment, she got the weirdest feeling like...something was staring back at her. Not a driver, nor a passenger or crew member, but... it seemed that the _train itself_ was gazing directly into her soul. But then just as quickly as it happened, the feeling was gone and the train was continuing on its path.

**The voice that cannot be replaced has vanished suddenly**

The train neared the red and white structure of Tokyo Tower, and then...

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_" came a deep male voice.

Then, much to Dani's utter shock and surprise, the train began to _change_.

She watched as the front and rear cars disconnected from the rest, and linked up, undergoing a transformation. Parts shifted and moved, gears and servos whirred as the front end of the train shifted into a humanoid torso, with arms and shoulders protected by armor that made up the part of the engine. The nose of the train became the chest and the rear engine became the legs, both legs protected by the outer shell of the engine. The head was the last thing to emerge, a pair of green optics flaring online.

**I lived and loves these simple days**

The unknown mecha landed atop one of the buildings closest to the tower, and now Dani could see just what it looked like.

Its shoulder guards resembled the rear end of the front engine of the _shinkansen_ she had just seen_,_ and the nose of the train was clearly the thing's chest. The entire rear engine made up its lower half, with the shells of the rear engine acting as additional armor to protect its legs.

Dani noticed that the robot possessed two pairs of caterpillar treads, one pair on each ankle. Its feet had what appeared to be pistons on their fronts, allowing the robot to boost its jumps she guessed. It had on its hands two guards that resembled an excavator shovel, and pistons on those allowed the robot to put more force into its blows.

The lower legs were completely blue with grey and gold accents, while the upper legs were white in color. The robot's chest was blue on the front with white on the sides, and golden outlines. Its arms were dark grey with white armor on the lower arms, and its hand guards were golden in color. The helm was blue with a silver command fin, and those optics glowed a fierce green color. Its faceplate was pure white, and on either side of the robot's face was a vent. Two protrusions swept back from the thing's helm, adding a sort of streamlined look to its appearance.

**I run as fast as I can towards where the sun is passing by**

"What...?" Dani was shocked.

The robot clenched its fists, a low growl seeming to come from deep within its chest. She wondered what it was going to do.

"Hey! Monkey breath! Let those two go right now!" the robot demanded in a deep, male voice. He - yes, he - pointed a dark grey metal finger at the gorilla beast. "Unless you're asking for an ass whooping!"

The beast looked to him and narrowed its eyes before sneering.

**Unbelievable things are happening in front of me**

Dani just couldn't believe her eyes. First she was about to go to Yamanouchi, then she met two new kids, and now... she was fighting alongside that blue and white robot she had seen earlier on the news! And it could turn into a _shinkansen_!

'_No wonder they couldn't find him!_' she thought in amazement. '_He was hiding in plain sight all along!_'

The gorilla held up its left hand with the hostages, as if to mock the robot and his ghostly companion. Dani's eyes glowed a fierce green as she gritted her teeth.

"Trying to stoop that low..." she growled, catching the robot by surprise. His helm whipped around to stare at her, and she swore he was looking right into her soul. Those optics matched her eyes in color, almost, except not as green. More like a greenish yellow, really.

"Who... Who are you?" he asked.

"Just call me Dani. Dani Phantom," the girl said. She held up a hand and a ghost ray formed in the palm as her eyes hardened. "So unless you plan on helping, I suggest you stay out of my way."

**I'm looking up towards the sun**

* * *

"Just call me Dani. Dani Phantom," the girl said. She held up a hand and a ghost ray formed in the palm as her eyes hardened. "So unless you plan on helping, I suggest you stay out of my way."

Tsuranuki's optics blazed as he felt anger surfacing in his chest. "Hey! Don't leave me out of this!" he snapped, pointing at the Faunus Ultra. "I'm trying to save those two!"

"Same here!" the girl, Dani, hissed.

"_Tsuranuki, stop antagonizing her,_" Hokuto instructed. "_You both want to save the two, then start working together. It's essential that you do this. The capture field nanomachines can only last for so long in this state._"

The _Shinkalion_ growled, realizing he had a point.

**But it's hard to get up**

Due to the necessity of fixing the vision adjustments caused by Goku's Semblance, the nanomachines of the capture field were deployed only at half power, allowing them to reflect the light around the battlespace to allow it to regain its original colors. That alone was costly in terms of power, which meant that the field's operating time was cut in half. So it became a necessity to finish it as fast as possible.

Tsuranuki's optics burned as he turned his attention back to the Faunus Ultra.

"Okay, banana breath! Drop them... _NOW!_" he snarled, clenching his fists.

The gorilla Faunus didn't answer; Tsuranuki figured that because of the animal-like nature of the new body, it wasn't able to answer. Instead, the Faunus Ultra held up a hand - the one with the hostages - and beckoned with a finger, as if to say 'bring it on!'

The _Shinkalion_ growled in the depths of his throat as he held up a hand and summoned his Wheelset Drill to his grasp. He clenched his hand around the trigger grip and brandished it before he crouched, and flaring his Aura, he leapt off the building.

A roar escaped his throat as he thrust his drill forward, channeling his Aura into it.

**I keep telling myself to move forward**

His drill slammed home against one of the gorilla's legs, only for that grainy grey Aura to cover its body and deflect the brunt of the impact. He grasped the side of Tokyo Tower in one hand and placed his feet on it before springing off and flipping, landing on the roof of another building. He turned to look over his shoulder and his optics flickered in annoyance.

As long as that Faunus Ultra was clinging to the tower, there was no way he could use his drill, least of all really make an impact and get the thing to drop his two friends. And with the capture field in a half-powered state, they were at a serious disadvantage.

"_Director Hayasugi, I hate to say it, but we're at a disadvantage_ here," Tsuranuki replied through his internal COMM unit. He had recently been trained in how to do so, mostly to keep people like this gorilla Faunus from finding out who he worked for. And boy, was it handy.

"_Dammit...!_" Hokuto growled. "_We're stuck then..._"

**I'll keep going down this painful journey to retrieve the old look in your eyes**

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**OBSERVATION DECK**

* * *

Hokuto narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out a plan.

But with the capture field in a half activated state, there was no way they could just charge it up to full.

The need to have people able to see in regular color was of the utmost importance, because how else would they be able to register red and green colors for the street lights, and the red of emergency lights?

The loss of life was the thing to avoid at this point. And there was no way the capture satellite was able to fire a second field...

"Dammit...!" he growled. "We're stuck then..."

They were in a tight spot. There was no way Tsuranuki could attack without causing damage to Tokyo Tower, and there was no way the ghost girl could do much damage either.

And this was a situation where they needed to work together.

Bit how?

**I'm after the love that I longed for (On my way)**

There was just no way... Or so he thought.

A voice cut into his hearing as he looked up, spotting Dani charging at the thing again on the monitor. Hokuto stood up from his seat, worry crossing his features as he heard Tsuranuki shout out to her.

"_Wait! Don't do it!_" he cried. "_It's too dangerous!_"

But she didn't listen. The director watched as the _Shinkalion_ leapt off the building towards her, his hand outstretched. She cried out as he grabbed her and he twisted his frame around, curling into a ball to increase his drop. He fell to the ground, holding a screaming Danielle close to his chest. He landed on the ground in a ball, landing on his back with a loud crash.

Hokuto winced at the crater in the ground. That would cost them a hefty fine.

**The reason I fight is not because of hate, I fight because I still have hope**

* * *

**TOKYO TOWER BATTLESPACE**

* * *

Tsuranuki grunted as he felt the pain from his impact fading.

He slowly uncurled his frame, looking at his cupped hands as he struggled to get into a sitting position. He uncurled his hands, exposing the ghost girl as she sat in a ball, shaking slightly.

"You okay?" he asked.

She looked up, green eyes wide in shock and disbelief. "What's the big idea?!" she blurted, floating out of his hands and up to his face.

Tsuranuki felt a bit nervous and he gulped softly. But he managed to retain his composure and gazed at her seriously. He batted her away lightly with one hand before sitting up fully and folding his arms across his chest. "What you were doing was downright reckless!" he scolded. "You can't just charge in there! We need to work together if we want to save the hostages!"

"That's what I was trying to do before you just grabbed me out of the air like a bug!" Dani protested. "And speaking of which, why do _you_ want to save them, anyway, Mr. Roboto!"

"Hey! I resent that name!" Tsuranuki growled. "My name is not Mr. Roboto, for your information! And as for your question, I want to save them because I have a duty to! I'm not some alien seeking to destroy this place like some others that you humans keep blabbering about in your stories!"

**My precious time**

Tsuranuki felt awkward even saying that. But he had been instructed to not reveal that he himself was a human wearing a _Shinkalion_ frame. So he had to play the role of a sentient robot recently found and activated, or barring that, an alien from another world. In his defense though, he preferred to be playing the role of an alien from a distant war-torn world, something that seemed to fit better than a rogue robot left behind by a long deceased civilization.

Dani's eyes widened at his explanation and she frowned as she folded her arms. "So you're a good alien?" she inquired.

The _Shinkalion_ nodded. "Yeah. And I for one am not about to let those two fall to their deaths, given how high up they are!" He gestured to the two children as they squirmed in the Faunus Ultra's grip. "So unless you want to have them die, then I suggest we try to come up with a plan that will actually _work!_"

As he said those words, he directed his attention to his internal COMM system.

"_Do you have any ideas, Director?_" he asked pleadingly.

"_Nothing,_" Hokuto muttered sadly.

**Ever since I can remember I've been surrounded with this same view**

The _Shinkalion_ growled. "_Dammit... if only we could isolate that section of Tokyo Tower in a capture field..._"

"_Wait. Say that again!_" the cat Faunus blurted.

"_I said if only we could isolate that section of Tokyo Tower in a capture field. Why?_" Tsuranuki asked, now confused. At least until he looked to the tower... and then a mental lightbulb went on.

"_Director, is it possible to isolate that section using a capture field?_" he asked.

"_In theory. But it's never been done before. To do so would mean that that section would be essentially fused into the field itself. And there is the risk of people also getting caught in the field itself as well,_" Hokuto remarked. "_It's a risky gamble. It would mean we have to fire a second field and disperse the nanomachines that are currently keeping people from seeing black and white._"

"_Well, that's a risk we'll have to take!_" Tsuranuki shot back. "_Unless the SDI has a procedure for evacuating people during such a mission!_"

Hokuto was silent for a moment, and Tsuranuki could hear chatter in the background. He waited for a few minutes during which Dani tried to convince him to go after the Faunus Ultra, but he declined by shaking his helm.

**Never tire of hearing your voice, but now it's slowly fading away**

The director came back on the COMM ten minutes later. "_Okay. We need you two to distract the gorilla Ultra until we can finish evacuating people from the_ _battlespace,_" he explained. "_Once that is done, we'll disperse the nanomachines and fire off a new capture field. But you two have to be out of the way of the fusion site. Also, there is the risk that you could be seeing black and white when inside with the Faunus._"

"_Right. I'll relay the plan to Dani,_" Tsuranuki replied with a nod.

"_All right. But just tell her your superiors came up with it._" That was the last thing Director Hayasugi said before the line was cut.

"Dani," he said, getting her attention. "I just got a message from my superiors. They have a plan, but it requires us to work together to distract that thing while they evacuate the native population below."

**Rain is falling down on me**

"Your superiors?" Dani was confused. "So... there are more of you?"

"That's better explained at a later date," Tsuranuki stated, trying to keep her focused. "Right now, do you wish to save your friends or not?"

The ghost girl's eyes flicked to the trapped children, then back to his optics. She bit her lower lip before she nodded, determination crossing her features. "Yes."

"Good. Now, the plan is simple. They'll be firing what is known as a capture field, or a containment area designed to prevent damage to this country's infrastructure, to trap the enemy inside," he explained. "The goal is to use that field to separate the beast from the rest of that tower, forcing it to leap to a new location within the field. Then, you and I are to make our move and attack the beast once it has been forced to leave the section of tower that has been isolated."

"Oh! Now I get it! Then we can attack from two sides!" Dani exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in realization.

**My feelings are so heavy**

Tsuranuki nodded. "Yep. That's the gist of it. But until the field has been fired, we have to keep that thing busy. You think you can go for its eyes while I try to go for the legs?"

Dani smirked. "I have an idea on how to do it. Just watch!"

She vanished right before his optics, and Tsuranuki had to slap his own faceplate to make sure his frame wasn't malfunctioning. She may have been invisible to all sensors, but he somehow _knew_ she was there. More like he could get a sense of her presence in the form of a tingling running down his spinal struts.

**It's getting hard to carry**

He shivered at the implications before he heard a loud bellow of pain and he looked up, seeing the gorilla Ultra trying to clutch at its eyes with one hand. His engine leapt into his throat as he saw the hand with the two hostages start to uncurl, and he reacted with surprising speed. He crouched and leapt off the building he was on, his drill spinning up to full power and he thrust it forward, going for one of the closest legs. "RAAAAAAAH!" A bellow escaped him as he drove it home into the Ultra's Aura as it flared, blocking the drill from breaking skin and bone.

Tsuranuki's optics flashed bright green as he shoved, trying to decrease the Aura for a chance at dealing some damage to this Ultra.

"_How much longer?!_" he cried over his COMM.

**These thoughts of losing you**

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**OBSERVATION DECK**

* * *

"We're working on it!" Hokuto shot back.

The technician in charge of the satellite had her orange eyes narrowed as she watched the targeting reticle dance across the screen. Beside her stood another technician.

"Futaba, just move it a little more to the right!" the technician told her.

"Honjo, it's not as easy as it looks!" Futaba Mihara said as she blew some of her brown hair out of her face. "It's like trying to thread a needle with yarn!"

Akagi Honjo narrowed his light blue eyes in frustration. He turned his gaze to the screen, watching as the reticle moved closer to the tower. "No! Not that close! We can't have the fusion of the rail and the Ultra!"

"Then you try!" Futaba snapped.

"Enough! Just keep trying!" Hokuto shouted.

**My feelings are unwavering**

Futaba narrowed her eyes as she moved the reticle to the left a bit, then down. Akagi was beside her, and he frowned a bit, but then when a chime came through, he knew she had it.

"There!" He jabbed a finger at the spot. "That's it! Keep it locked on that location!"

"Right!" Futaba nodded.

"All right! Capture field... FIRE!" Hokuto cried.

**I'm desperately trying to reach out**

* * *

**TOKYO TOWER BATTLESPACE**

* * *

The evacuation had gone much smoother than they had expected.

With the help of the local police and a few Hunters in the area, the civilians had been ushered away as the last of the capture field nanomachines dispersed. Tsuranuki had to shift his optics to heat vision so as to be able to see somewhat clearly in the affected area of the battlespace. Dani had to cover her eyes though at his command until the field was fired.

He shifted his gaze up as his sensors registered the incoming energy beam. He shut off his optics before returning them to standard vision as he sensed the field expanding. He brought them back online, noticing how he could see in real colors due to the field's activation. He turned to Dani. "Open your eyes. The field's been activated."

The ghost girl obeyed, and was surprised to see a bluish energy barrier solidifying before it vanished before her eyes. "What...?"

"Optical camouflage. A necessity if we're to keep the Grimm from causing any potential harm," he explained as he scooped her up in his hands. "Now hold on! We're going in!"

He broke into a run and sprang off the building, his optics finding the field's shimmering surface. The camouflage field shimmered as he vanished inside, a tingling feeling overcoming his frame for a few brief seconds. Then as quickly as it began, the sensation ended and they were inside.

**Whatever comes my way, I'll keep searching for you (Find my way)**

Dani was awestruck by the interior of the field, with the platform and rails crisscrossing the space around it. Tsuranuki had to clear his vocalizer to get her attention. She coughed a bit and blushed lightly. "Sorry," she squeaked.

"Enough. We have a mission," he reminded her.

Dani looked around the field as he set her down and she floated off, her flight allowing her to roam around the field. Tsuranuki turned his gaze to look at where he suspected the section of Tokyo Tower would be, and he was surprised to see that the gorilla Ultra was missing from it. A chuckle escapes his vocalizer as he scanned around for any sign of it. "Well, seems the plan worked," he mused as he finally picked up the gorilla clinging to one of the rails.

"Dani! I found it!" he called to her. She spun around, and her eyes landed on the shape of the gorilla Faunus Ultra as it roared, leaping up. Tsuranuki crouched and sprang off the platform towards the rail the gorilla was clinging to and thrust his drill forward, his Aura streaming off of it. "All right, banana breath! Let them go... right... _NOW!_" he roared.

Dani charged in from the left, her hands seething with ectoplasmic energy. "Hang on, guys!" she cried, firing off a blazing green beam.

**When our feelings are aligned, the pieces will fall into place**

Both attacks collided with the gorilla Ultra's Aura, the ghost ray vanishing at contact. But Tsuranuki's drill kept pouring into it, and his gaze flicked to the gauge in the lower left hand corner of his vision. The Aura was steadily dropping, but it wasn't enough.

He needed to get it down to below the safety limit so they could get the two kids free. He pushed, his optics flashing a brilliant green as he shunted more Aura to his drill. His own reserves were starting to decrease, but he was not about to give up.

**WARNING!**

**AURA RESERVES AT 60%**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 22 HOURS 36 MINUTES**

**This is the hope I believe in wow oh wow**

The _Shinkalion_ cried out as he pushed harder, his hydraulics giving it all they had. "RAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His drill pulsed, and then a loud crunching resonated as the gorilla Ultra's Aura finally broke, the tip penetrating bone and flesh. A loud roar escaped the Ultra's throat. A roar of pain and agony. Tsuranuki felt a sense of satisfaction as he pulled the drill out, blood and muscle flying from the leg of the Ultra.

And just in time, too. The gorilla couldn't keep its pain at bay, so it tossed the two children from its hand as it grasped at its wound with that hand.

Tsuranuki's engine leapt into his throat as he turned and sprang off the rail he was on as he dismissed his drill into storage.

He thrust out both hands and grasped onto one of the two - Shinobu - but missed Miku as she fell beyond his reach.

**The stories that you made are our best memories**

"NO!" he screamed.

Miku shrieked as she fell, trying in vain to grasp at anything that was close to her. But to no avail. There just wasn't anything for her to grasp on to.

Tsuranuki felt his entire world crumbling. He wasn't able to save Miku... She was going to die...

And he would've failed his first official mission. He would probably be kicked out of the program... What would his mother say? He... He couldn't... He couldn't fail. Not now. Not ever! Not when the world needed hope! Not when Japan needed a symbol for the future!

"I...I can't fail... I can't fail now!" he howled.

**It will forever remain**

"_Tsuranuki!_" Hokuto cried.

"I got this!" Dani suddenly shouted. A blur of black and white sped past his vision and he looked down in shock as she swept around, her legs morphing into a ghostly tail as she neared the falling Miku. Her hands lashed out and caught onto Miku's backpack, and Tsuranuki let out a laugh of relief as he landed on the platform.

He looked down to the ninja boy who was gazing up at him in sheer awe. He slowly knelt down and placed the boy on the platform. "I take it you're uninjured?" he asked, trying to sound more professional than he appeared to be.

"Y-Yeah... Thanks for saving us... uh..." Shinobu's voice trailed off as Dani came down with Miku. The rabbit Faunus looked frightened, but for the most part she was all right.

**Thank you for that wow oh**

"Thank you," Miku gasped, clutching at her chest. Tsuranuki couldn't blame her for being panicked. Anyone falling from an incredible height would feel that way. Himself included.

Dani smiled and waved her hand. "No big deal," she remarked. She turned to look up at Tsuranuki, as if expecting him to speak.

"_Tsuranuki, say something!_" Hokuto hissed over his COMM.

The _Shinkalion_ yelped in his thoughts before he cleared his vocalizer. "Just doing my duty," he said, trying to sound somewhat professional.

"Say, you never even told us your name!" Dani suddenly exclaimed, and he felt his engine leap into his throat as he gulped.

"_Uh, a little help here?!_" he pleaded to the director.

"_Whatever you do, do_ not_ reveal your human name!_" Hokuto warned. "_I would highly recommend using a code name._"

**All painful journeys will come to an end**

"_But what one?! I sure as hell can't go around called Driller, now can I?!_" Tsuranuki hissed.

Hokuto was about to speak again, only for a loud roar to interrupt and his helm snapped to the left, only to stare in shock at the gorilla Faunus Ultra as it leapt off the rail it had clung to, its hands opened in preparation to grab the _Shinkalion's_ throat. Tsuranuki summoned his drill to his grasp and thrust it forward in a blocking motion, the ape grabbing the weapon and struggling to pull it from his hands.

"No...can...do...banana breath!" he growled, shifting his stance. Dani was shocked as the _Shinkalion_ began to push back, his treads going at full speed. The ape Faunus Ultra was caught off guard as the effort put strain on the injured leg. A roar of pain barely escaped the enemy's throat as Tsuranuki kept going... right for the edge of the platform! His optics flickered as he started to twist his frame, spinning himself around a few times, the momentum allowing him to lift the Faunus Ultra off the platform and with a cry, he _heaved_ the beast off the platform... and right onto another rail. Using this as his advantage, he sprang off the central platform and landed on the rail facing the gorilla Ultra.

"Okay! Time to end it!" he growled.

The Faunus Ultra grumbled as if in agreement.

**The future is in your hands**

Tsuranuki let out a cry as he charged for the beast, his drill going full force. The gorilla summoned its Aura, but the pain from its leg injury disrupted its focus and it wavered. The tip of the Wheelset Drill drove into the Aura, causing it to deplete even further. The gauge beeped and he knew it was close to the safety limit. Just a little more, and then the Aura would vanish, leaving the Faunus in its true form.

He pulled his drill back and dismissed it into storage as he thrust his left fist forward, his punch connecting solidly with the Faunus's chest and he followed that up with a nasty roundhouse kick to the face. The gorilla staggered back, hand flying for its left cheek. It looked up, those blue eyes hardening before a fist was thrust back at him. Tsuranuki leaned back and placed his hands on the rail before he flipped his frame, his feet lashing out and delivering a nasty upper kick to the chin of the gorilla. He finished his back flip and crouched on the balls of his metal feet before he sprang forward, whipping out a one-two punch combo to the gut. The gorilla's eyes widened as it double over, no doubt from the pain it was feeling. But it wasn't done. Despite the beating it was receiving, the gorilla managed to get to its feet in a straight standing position. It clenched its fists before lumbering towards the _Shinkalion_. He braced himself and threw up his arms, flaring his Aura as the gorilla punched with a fist. His Aura shimmered as he was pushed back, but he didn't get damaged. He kept himself braced as a flurry of punches came his way repeatedly. He had to rev his treads to keep from being pushed to the edge of the rail, and actually, this was a bad situation. He was stuck on the defensive, and he had no way to keep this thing from possibly even headbutting him off...

_BING!_ On went the mental lightbulb.

The _Shinkalion_ tensed his frame... and as the gorilla drew back for a final punch...

He lunged. His hands curled around the gorilla's arms and he braced himself for the impact. He positioned himself squarely in front of the gorilla's face and reared back his head.

**Always keep chasing and never give up! (On my way)**

The gorilla was not expecting the headbutt when it came. Tsuranuki was. His vision swam as he collided his helm with the gorilla's face, breaking its nose and its focus as well. He pulled back, blood splattered on his silver command fin and helm. He let go of the gorilla's arms and leapt back, watching as the Aura surrounding its body began to fade.

The injuries began to fade as the hulking body started to shrink, losing muscle and height. Fur began to recede into pink flesh, and the hair that covered its face and head started to shift back to normal hair. The eyes returned to a deep brown and a mustache sprouted from its face as its simian features reverted to human ones. The immense height reduced slowly as bones cracked and shifted, reverting to traditional humanoid form. The huge creature was returning to its true shape.

Dani watched in astonishment beside Shinobu and Miku, awe spread across her face. Shinobu was silent, his eyes wide as he stared in shock. Miku had her hands placed over her mouth as she grimaced at the wound on the simian features before it vanished.

**I'm sure I felt the courage you gave me**

The _Shinkalion_ was panting as he stood up straight, summoning his drill again. He wasn't about to take any chances this time.

"_Tsuranuki..._ _stop. Please..._" Hokuto's voice caught him off guard and he halted.

"_Why? This guy held my friends hostage... and he threatened their lives!_" the _Shinkalion_ countered.

"_It's not worth it. Besides, we are better than them. That is what we have to prove..._" His words made Tsuranuki pause. He looked down at the naked gorilla Faunus beneath him and he huffed through his vents.

**I'll sacrifice my everything to get back our precious time**

"_Fine... but only because it's the right thing to do..._" he muttered. He dismissed his drill and knelt, scooping up the man in hand and looking him over.

The extra bulk to his arms and shoulders was enough to mark him as a gorilla Faunus, as well as the additional hair on his back and chest. He had messy black hair and a mustache on his upper lip. His eyes were closed, but he had seen them change from blue to a deep brown color. He wondered who this Faunus was.

"_Director... who is this guy?_" he asked.

"_That... is something personal, I'm afraid,_" Hokuto muttered. "_Just bring him in. His Semblance should be useless for a month anyway._"

"_Understood._" Tsuranuki turned to the others on the platform and gave a thumbs up.

Mission: Complete.

* * *

**TOKYO TOWER**

**HALF AN HOUR LATER**

* * *

"That... was... insane!" Dani exclaimed as she flew around the _Shinkalion_ excitedly.

After the battle had ended, the capture field had gone down, and the group had found themselves standing atop a building close to Tokyo Tower. Tsuranuki had dumped the exhausted gorilla Faunus off at the closest police station and rejoined the trio once they got to ground level. People of course were astonished to see him, and a few were even trying to take pictures of him. He didn't mind, but he _was_ ordered to remain as discreet as possible.

"Yes, but it was also dangerous," Tsuranuki pointed out as he knelt next to the trio of children.

"So... what exactly _is_ your name?" Miku inquired.

Tsuranuki froze at that. '_Oh, shit! I still need to come up with a code name!_' he thought in a panic.

"_Uh... a little help on the code name, Mr. Hayasugi?_" he pleaded.

"_Sorry. You have to come up with it,_" was the answer he got.

Tsuranuki paused, wracking his processor for any ideas. A few came to mind, but he dismissed them. Glob, there was no way he was going to be called Driller or Mr. Roboto! He wanted something unique, something... different. Something that would call attention to him and say that he was not to be messed with.

But what would work? He knew that there were some he could adapt, but the names Sam-R-I and Major Glory were already taken. He wanted something that didn't sound like a superhero, but sounded more like it was fitting for a _Shinkalion_ like himself.

A few people were chattering beside him and he wondered what they were talking about. Maybe if he listened in, he'd get an idea for a code name...

"...the E7 was really a robot!"

"Yeah! I mean, sure the E7 can travel on both systems of electrical usage, but..."

"...the E7..."

"...fighting like the E7..."

"...E7 _shinkansen_..."

'_The E7..._' Tsuranuki looked down at one of his hands as he pondered. The E7... Esebun... Wait...

'_E... se... bu..._' he thought. '_Ese... bu... I... I like that. Esebu._'

The more he repeated the name, the more it seemed to fit. It wasn't too superheroic, nor was it too menacing. He finally looked up.

"_I got it!_" he said.

"_What code name have you decided on?_" Hokuto asked him.

Tsuranuki gave a mental smirk in his thoughts, not like it could be seen. "_Esebu. That's my code_ _name._"

"_Esebu? Are you sure? Because once it's put into the system, the only way to change the code name is for the whole system to be rebooted. And we can't afford that,_" the director cautioned.

"_Yeah. I'm sure of it,_" Tsuranuki replied.

The director was silent for a moment. For a moment, Tsuranuki was worried that he'd reject it. But much to his surprise, when he came back on, there was some good news.

"_Okay. It's been put into the system. You're now an official member of the SDI, Tsuranuki... or should I say, Esebu?_" Hokuto had a smile in his voice at those words.

Tsuranuki, or Esebu, nodded subtly. "_Thanks,_" he said. "_See you back at SDI HQ._"

He turned to the trio of children beside him and gave a thumbs up, jerking a thumb at himself. "You can call me Esebu!" he remarked.

"Esebu?" Dani tilted her head cutely. "That's... a really... unusual name..."

"Well, so is Dani Phantom," Esebu pointed out.

Shinobu rolled his eyes as Miku giggled. "He's got you there, Dani," he said with a shake of his head.

"Anyway, I gotta go. I can't hang around for too long or else people might get too suspicious," Esebu remarked.

He got to his feet and turned, but before he left, he heard Miku call out to him. "Will we see you again?" she asked.

"Maybe. I'm around, but I tend to keep a low profile," Esebu replied as he walked off. "See ya."

* * *

_"It seems Goku lost to him."_

_"Yes. A shame. But no matter. He was expendable anyway. He was merely an enforcer, not one of our more... notable... officials here in Satyra."_

_"Not like you, sir?"_

_"Not like me, or my son."_

_"Ah. And what of the Fallen? Has he gotten interested in this new enemy?"_

_"We don't know. His Eminence has not said if he has or not. We shall wait... and see..."_

* * *

Sammael smirked as he watched the blue and white _shinkansen_ through his Seer.

He had to admit, he was coming along nicely, with how well he had fought the Faunus gorilla and won. He didn't know if it was really a robot or an alien, but whatever the case, he had an idea for his next Kaiju to send. And hopefully it could draw more out... as well...

* * *

**Name: Goku Daiichi**

**Species: Faunus**

**Aura: Grainy grey**

**Semblance: King Kong Fury**

**Description: His Semblance can turn him into a giant gorilla that looks exactly like the fictional character, Gorilla Kong. He can affect the vision of those who see him within up to a five kilometer radius, making them see things as if they were in an old time _Gorilla Kong_ film. It has no effect on ghostly powers, so they retain their usual colors. His Semblance 's vision adjustments can also be canceled out via the use of a capture field's nanomachines. Also, his Semblance cannot be used for a month once he has returned to human form.**


	8. GRIMM

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: LINKPOD_**

_In order to properly utilize the frames of the Shinkalion units, the drivers have to essentially_ become_ the units themselves. At first, it was feared that the drivers would have to literally be wired into their machines through an invasive and utterly torturous method that connected every single aspect of their body to the unit. It was deemed impractical and downright inhumane by the director, and thus a new solution had to be found._

_That solution came in the form of the technology used to create Dracon. By reverse engineering it and combining some aspects of the ancients' technology with the modern, a new system was developed and implemented. It came in the form of a pod that, when activated, transferred the occupant's very soul into the frame of the _Shinkalion_ unit they were assigned. This pod has since become called the LinkPod, and is considered the first stage of the project._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Things that go bump in the night... what are they really? Stories and legends like this have been passed down for centuries. And sometimes they can be fables with a lesson, or just fairy tales meant to scare little children into being good. But what if those stories started with a grain of truth to them?"

A figure leaned forward, those glasses glinting before they adjusted them. "Like the Scooby-Doo project... What was it really about? Was it real? Or was it just a fake...? That is the thing about mysteries. What are they really? Are they fake? Or are some mysteries meant to be unsolved for all of time? Well, that's something only you can decide..."

* * *

**CHAPTER VII - GRIMM**

Tsuranuki glanced at the cell phone in his hand, unable to believe it.

He had finally been made an official member of the SDI.

And his code name was proof of that.

Esebu.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed to fit. It was unique, alien sounding, and totally unexpected.

And it also fit the cover he and Mr. Hayasugi had come up with.

The cover was that he and his friends - when in their new frames - were aliens living undercover in Japan that had fled from a brutal war that tore apart their home world and were seeking a place to avoid combat. The government of Japan had agreed to shelter them, allowing them to blend in as part of the _shinkansen_ network across the country. But in times of dire need, like with the Kaiju Grimm, they were to help assist in defending their adopted home in exchange for safety and security.

Prime Minister Sanban agreed to the cover, and alongside several other members of his cabinet, forged the necessary documents to back up the story. The whole idea was to keep things as realistic as possible whilst hiding the true identities of the 'aliens' as just high school kids.

Speaking of which, his mother, Misuzu Daimonyama - who also happened to be president of the family construction firm, Daimonyama Construction - had to be told of his new... position... so to speak, and boy, was she not happy. And truthfully, Tsuranuki couldn't blame her. After the death of her husband and his father, he was forbidden from even thinking about becoming a Huntsman. But this... This was _not_ the work of a Huntsman. No. He was something different.

Something new.

In the end, after some arguing, his mother and he were able to come to a compromise: if a Kaiju-Grimm was detected and he was sent out, he was to be careful and not put himself into a risky situation where his life could be forfeit, even if he was wearing a robotic frame for the duration of the mission.

The boy was interrupted by the beeping of his cell phone and he directed his attention back to it.

It was actually a very sleek looking device, with the same color scheme as his _Shinkalion_ frame: blue, and white separated by a gold line. There were a few functions that most cell phones didn't even hav"ze, one of them being a radar function and an infrared scanner. The most important one though was a communications app that had been recently developed for them, allowing the SDI members to stay in contact with one another at all times. And in this war, every second counted.

The boy placed the phone down on his bedside dresser as he lay back on the covers for it.

"Man... this whole thing... I still can't believe it..." he murmured as he gazed at the ceiling of his bedroom.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Miku... Shinobu..." His thoughts drifted to them as he muttered their names. Tsuranuki could only wonder what they were doing now. He knew they were okay after that gorilla Faunus Ultra attack, but he could only wonder what they were thinking at this moment.

Hell, he knew that he was able to fight, but those two... without any Semblances or special weapons they were pretty much helpless against such things. And he was worried that after that attack, they would take a chance and risk their lives in an attempt to try and defeat the next Kaiju-class Grimm on their own. And that he did not want.

Not since they were two of his best friends.

Well, not counting Akita and Hayato, whom he had first met in grade school. The two were closer to him than Miku and Shinobu in a way. But he still considered them his best friends anyway.

His eyes softened as he remembered the way Shinobu looked at him in awe when he had worn his _Shinkalion_ frame. In some way, he couldn't blame the boy. Despite being a ninja, he wasn't as skilled as some other clans and some clans even had experience in tackling large Grimm. Unfortunately, his clan wasn't one of them. And that meant he was seen as inferior to some other clans.

And then there was Miku. The poor girl had been terrified out of her wits after nearly plummeting to her death. In a way, he had to admit, everything was weighing on him alone right now, and that was even with Dani Phantom helping out.

But ghost powers or not, she was still a human being, and humans didn't last long against large adversaries such as Faunus Ultra or Kaiju Grimm. His eyes narrowed as he looked to the newspaper lying on his bed.

The front page article had an image of Esebu - his alter ego - on the front, brandishing his drill as he lunged for the Faunus Ultra gorilla, Dani beside him as she fired off an ecto-ray from her hands. In the left hand of the Faunus Ultra were Miku and Shinobu. He grimaced at it and brushed the paper off the bed.

Tsuranuki turned away from the paper and grasped a book, opening it to read. But before he lost himself in the pages, he only hoped that Miku and Shinobu were okay. No doubt their parents were chewing them out for their decisions to fight, if they already made them.

He had no idea how right he was.

* * *

**HASTUNE HOUSEHOLD**

* * *

Kiara Hatsune frowned as she looked at her daughter, her head buried in her hands.

"I'm so sorry, Mama..." she whispered.

The forty-seven year old computer engineer ran a hand through her brown hair and closed her light green eyes, sighing. "Miku, I know how you feel. But I cannot allow you to go out and fight. You may have your Aura, but without a Semblance or weapon, you cannot fight Grimm. I only allowed you to awaken your Aura for your own protection against Satyra attackers. You know this."

Then her expression softened as she opened her eyes. "Especially after you were nearly killed yesterday... I don't want to lose you like I lost your brother... and your father."

She embraced Miku as the girl broke down crying. "I'm just trying to keep you safe, honey. You're my most precious thing... and I don't want to lose the last member of my family to those Kaiju."

The two Faunus sat there for a while, just savoring the moment of being together. Miku still wished to fight, but she understood what her mother was saying. After losing her son and husband on the same day as a Kaiju Grimm attack two years ago, she had urged her daughter to take up kendo for self-defense, as well as unlock her Aura to further bolster her defense. (Well, her brother had been killed by Satyra while her father was left dead in the aftermath of a Squid Grimm attack.) Kiara had forbidden her from becoming a Huntress, and she was just glad her mother had not been disappointed in her rejection to Yamanouchi. She considered it a blessing, actually.

The rabbit girl looked up. "Mama... I understand why you're so worried... but..."

"Honey, even if that robot, Esebu or whatever it's named, is in the area, it may not get there in time to save you," Kiara said softly. "And that Dani girl may not even be in the area if you get captured again... I... I just don't want to lose my only daughter too... If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do..."

Kiara pulled away and gazed into Miku's eyes. "Please promise me you'll stay away from fighting..."

Miku shook her head. "Mama... I..."

Kiara was silent as she heard Miku's voice trail off. In all honesty, this was hard on both of them. Miku wanted to make sure her mother wasn't worried, but at the same time, she wanted to fight. Especially after that attack yesterday in which she was held hostage along with Shinobu.

"Miku..."

As Miku sat in her mother's arms, she could only wonder how Shinobu was doing with this...

* * *

**TSUKIYAMA HOUSEHOLD**

* * *

Masaru Tsukiyama was disappointed.

Not in his son, but in how he had handled himself during the crisis.

"Shinobu... I'm very disappointed in you. You failed to escape with your friend and got captured as a result," the forty-two year old shopkeeper said seriously. "You could've been killed yesterday. And both your mother and I would be very upset."

"But father-" Shinobu was cut off as his mother, Chiaki Tsukiyama, waved her hand.

"There are no excuses for such actions," the female ninja replied, her eyes hard. "You are a ninja. And ninjas always take the first strike or, barring that, escape when the time calls for it. You did neither. And therefore it is a shame upon our clan. We have fought for so long to try and become some of the best, but due to certain circumstances in our family's past, we have been unable to reach our goal. And now to hear of this..." She shook her head and sighed.

Shinobu bowed to her, burying his head in his hands as he did so. "Mother, please forgive me! I had every intention on escape, but that thing grabbed me before I could!" he exclaimed.

Chiaki narrowed her eyes at his words. She knew her son was no liar, but it still tugged at her heart when he did this. "You must understand, Shinobu. That robot may not always be there. And for all you know, neither will that Dani girl. A ninja can act in concert with other ninja, but they can never be true allies. We are not that way. You never know when someone could backstab you," she explained.

"But you don't protest my friends!" Shinobu remarked as he lifted his head. "You allow me to hang with them!"

"Because they have earned my respect and trust," the ninja said seriously. "They have backed you up in times of need, and have never once betrayed you. They I can accept as your allies. As for this robot, I cannot be sure it will not turn on us. And this Dani girl is a wild card. With them, it is best to be on your guard."

Shinobu looked down, knowing his mother was right. His friends were perhaps the only non-ninja to have earned the respect and trust of a ninja, and therefore were considered allies to their clan, and by extension, their families, too. And to do so meant that it was a bond of trust. Very rarely did ninja trust others outside their own clans.

He bowed his head again. "I understand, Mother," he said.

"Should this ever happen again, I am afraid it will have shamed our clan name for generations. We will be dishonored, and you know the price," Chiaki said grimly. Her eyes narrowed and her son gulped, knowing what it meant. Ritual suicide, which was forbidden in this day and age, had long since fallen out of favor with more prominent clans. So instead they adopted a new policy of removing one's name from the family tree. It was the closest they could get to committing _seppuku_. To be removed from a clan was considered a dishonor that could never be redeemed unless one was willing to go above and beyond in their duties to their former clients or clan, and that rarely happened.

Shinobu knew what this meant. If he was ever captured again, his name would be removed from the clan family tree until he found a way to redeem himself in their eyes.

He bowed his head lower. "I promise it shall never happen again, Mother, Father," he said.

Chiaki motioned for him to sit up. He did.

A smile graced her face. "I know it sounds harsh, but we only want what is best for you. We want you to succeed in your life, Shinobu. And we only wish to see you grow strong." Her smile faded as she looked down at her hands clenched in her lap. "But for _this_ to happen... I worry about your future in this world... If you were to be lost, we would truly know the meaning of shame and grief."

The female ninja embraced her son and he returned it. "Mother... I'm so... so sorry!" he whimpered, breaking down crying. "I... I was just..." His voice was lost amongst his cries, and she hugged him closer.

Masaru joined the hug, placing a hand on Shinobu's shoulder as he embraced him as well.

"Just be careful from now on..." he said softly. "I don't want to lose my son to those Grimm..."

Of course, both families had no idea as to what fate awaited their children...

* * *

**DARKLANDS - UNKNOWN LOCATION**

**SAMMAEL'S CASTLE**

* * *

The red skies lit up with eternal fury as he stood in front of the window in his castle, his red eyes fixed on the horizon. For Sammael, this sight was never one to evoke emotions, but he did admit it had a sort of poetic quality to it as a smirk crossed his lips.

His smirk faded into a more serious expression as he heard the door to his domain open, and loud metallic footsteps reached his hearing.

"So, you have your next target planned?" a deep voice rumbled from behind him.

"Why yes, my friend," Sammael purred as he looked back out of the corner of his eye at the hulking form lurking in the shadows. "And I have to say that this time, the mecha will fail to defeat my Grimm."

The speaker's green optics pulsed as a screen appeared in front of him, courtesy of one of his drones. The screen displayed video footage of Esebu as he dealt the final blow to the gorilla Faunus Ultra before capturing him. "Esebu, they call him," he muttered.

The Fallen arched an eyebrow as he turned to face the shadowy figure.

A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the chamber, and the huge form of I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. was revealed, his green optics burning into the Fallen's red eyes. "Esebu, hmm?"

The Devil Gundam nodded his helm. "Yes."

"An intriguing name," Sammael mused. Then a small smile crossed his lips. "Interesting..." Then he looked up. "I have a proposition. How would you like to... assist me... in creating the next Grimm? I know your drones are compatible with the Dark Substance, no?"

The huge Gundam narrowed his optics in contemplation. "And what is in it for me?" he asked warily.

"A chance to see just what Esebu is made of... literally," Sammael remarked casually. His smile grew into a sneer. "And to see if more like him exist."

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. hummed thoughtfully. "I will admit, as a former man of science, I too am intrigued. So I accept your proposition."

"Good. Then come. We have a Grimm to make..." Sammael turned and walked off, the hulking Gundam trailing after.

"As a suggestion, Sammael, I have one already planned," he said, his optics flashing red for a brief instant. "I can show you, if you like."

Sammael was normally not one to accept suggestions on what Grimm to make, but in this case, he wished to see what his biomechanical counterpart had crafted. So he nodded. I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. raised a hand and a screen appeared in front of the red-haired Fallen.

The image made his eyes widen. Then he turned to look at the Devil Gundam. His sneer had morphed into a grin. "I must say, this is quite... devilish... of you, my friend."

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. hummed in pleasure at Sammael's reaction. "I take it you approve?"

"More than approve. Should this design prove successful, I plan on making smaller versions, if you don't mind," Sammael said with a real grin.

"Not at all. As long as you give me proper credit for this design..." the Gundam hissed. His hand clenched and scales of metal formed on it before transforming into a sword with those scales on the blade.

"I intend to, do not worry," Sammael said. The Fallen smirked. "After all, I do not waste talent. And yours really shine. I think you will go far, my friend. And I mean what I say with this."

The Devil Gundam dismissed his sword and nodded. "Good. I am satisfied that someone takes an interest in my talents..."

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

**DAIMONYAMA CONSTRUCTION HQ - DAIMONYAMA HOUSEHOLD**

* * *

"TSURANUKI!"

The boy groaned as he turned over in his bed, burying his head under the pillow. "Mooom! It's early!" he moaned.

Mizusu's voice rang out again. "GET UP! IT'S ALMOST TEN!"

Tsuranuki's eyes snapped open as he heard the words. His hand flew for his phone and he pulled it close to his face, only to gape at the time. "Crap! I almost overslept!" he blurted as he scrambled out from under the covers.

Thankfully it was a weekend, but it still was a busy day as he had been scheduled to go train at the main HQ for the SDI that day. And the session was supposed to start at eleven.

He hurriedly threw on his clothes and bolted down the stairs a few minutes later, a toothbrush in his mouth as he brushed his hair with the other hand. "Sorry!" he cried.

His mother stood not too far from the bottom of the stairs, a frown on her face. "I know I said you could take part, but that doesn't mean you get to slack off!" she remarked, pointing at him. "As it stands, you'll be late and I do not want my son to be late for training!"

The boy nodded as he finished brushing his teeth and darted into the bathroom close by to spit out the toothpaste. Once that was done, he bolted for the kitchen and grabbed a bagel before stuffing it in his mouth and running for the door, a backpack in hand. "I'll see you later!" he cried as he ran out the door.

"And don't be late again!" his mother called out after him.

Tsuranuki darted down the street, his food halfway gone by the time he reached the halfway completed Marunouchi Building.

The Marunouchi Building had been damaged in a Grimm attack several years prior and was _still_ undergoing reconstruction even five years later. Mostly due to the fact that Mothra had damaged the surrounding buildings closest to it and therefore rerouted reconstruction efforts to them as well. It was also chosen for its close proximity to Tokyo Station to set up SDI Headquarters.

Thankfully no one was there right at the moment, so he was able to vault over the fence and landed on the other side before running past the inactive construction equipment and into the building itself. Tsuranuki ran over to the elevator shaft that was half-open and grasped onto the cable before sliding down it to the basement. He exited the elevator and ran down the hallway, having finished his bagel before getting into the elevator shaft. He ran through the basement before coming to a door that read "_Danger: High Voltage_" on its front. This was the building's electrical room, but inside it was another door that led down a flight of stairs to the SDI Headquarters.

The boy bolted out of the stairway and ran down the hallway until he reached the main office. He skidded to a stop, panting before he looked up as the door opened. Tsuranuki straightened up as Hokuto looked up from his desk.

"Oh, Tsuranuki. You're right on time," he said.

"Sorry, I slept in..." Tsuranuki panted as he walked into the office.

Hokuto chuckled a bit. "It happens. Just be sure to remember when you're supposed to be here for training. I'd recommend writing it down on a calendar so you don't forget."

The boy cracked a smile as he sat down in front of the director's desk.

"So, what's the training today?" Tsuranuki asked as Director Hayasugi took his seat behind the desk.

"Basically you'll be going to Hokkaido for training in operations during cold weather," he explained as he tapped a few buttons on his computer. Then he turned the computer to face Tsuranuki.

Tsuranuki leaned in and his eyes widened a bit. "This..."

Hokuto nodded. "This is where you'll be training." The screen showed a large open area filled with snow and ruins, and Tsuranuki narrowed his eyes.

"Doesn't look like much," he mused.

"Trust me, this place is as good as any. Actually, this used to be a city before it was demolished in a Grimm attack seven years prior," Hokuto explained. "It used to be called Shibetsu before it was destroyed by a massive bat Grimm seven years ago. It was completely leveled, and no one survived... Only ruins remain to this day."

"So that makes it a perfect training ground..." Tsuranuki mused.

The director nodded. "Yes. So you'll be heading out there as soon as-"

He was cut off by the alarm as it began to blare.

"_Sir, it's Futaba! We got word on a new Grimm sighting!_"

Hokuto's hand flew to the computer and he pressed a button beside the keyboard. Futaba's image appeared on the monitor in the lower left hand corner. "What Grimm are we talking about?" he asked.

"_It's a Kaiju-class. We've code named it Rope Spider._" She shifted before the image of the Grimm in question appeared on the upper right hand corner. "_We've already fired off a capture field, so Tsuranuki can get in there_."

The boy narrowed his eyes as he got up. "Understood!"

Hokuto nodded. "Then you're cleared for deployment. Get to the pod room."

Tsuranuki saluted before he turned and ran out of the room.

Of course, he was unaware that he had been followed...

* * *

**SURFACE**

**MARUNOUCHI BUILDING**

* * *

Miku frowned as she peered around the corner. "This... I know I saw him run down this way..."

Beside her, Shinobu narrowed his eyes. "I don't know... This just seems wrong..."

"So is ducking out of sight without letting us know what he is doing!" Miku shot back. Her rabbit ears twitched as she kept them close to her head. "This isn't like him... What is he hiding? Don't you want to know?"

In truth, the ninja _did_ want to know. Why _was_ he suddenly ducking away every few days for the last month? What was he up to?

That was what spurred Miku to follow him today.

But now, they had lost him. There was no way that he could've up and vanished. Tsuranuki was in no way as sneaky as a ninja, or as stealthy. In fact, he downright failed at stealth in some cases.

Miku peeped around the corner a bit more, her rabbit ears pricking up. She turned them a bit, then her head snapped to the right. "Footsteps!" she hissed. "This way!"

She quietly bolted out of hiding, with Shinobu following her. The two made their way to the closest elevator shaft and Shinobu held out a hand as he sprawled on his stomach, tilting his head as he listened. He could faintly hear footsteps all right. And they sounded as if they were coming from the basement.

"C'mon!" he whispered, slipping his hands around the cable. Within seconds he was sliding down it, Miku following just moments later. The two children descended down the cable until they reached the bottom of the shaft. Once on the bottom, they plastered themselves to the walls and peered out around the door frame.

And their eyes widened as they saw Tsuranuki run past. He ran past the elevator, not even noticing them as he ducked down another corridor.

The two teenagers ran out to follow, only to see that he had vanished.

"What...?"

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

Tsuranuki settled into the pod as he donned the helmet. The top of the pod hissed shut as he waited for the linkup to commence.

"_Tsuranuki, I'm sure you saw the image, but as a reminder, the Grimm is based off of a spider. And it's started to spin a web inside the capture field. So you have to move,_" Hokuto relayed.

"Right! LinkPod, engage!" Tsuranuki replied.

He closed his eyes as the gauge flashed to one hundred percent. He let his mind drift free and he followed the tendril to his unit.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**SHINKANSEN HANGAR**

* * *

Slowly, he came to.

His mind, on instinct, reached out and embraced his frame.

The readouts flickered as his vision came online.

**UNIT: E7 KAGAYAKI**

**STATUS: ACTIVATED**

**DRIVER: TSURANUKI DAIMONYAMA**

**CODE NAME: ESEBU**

**AURA: STABLE**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 36 HOURS**

**ENERGY LEVELS: 100%**

Esebu grunted as he started his engine, the power flooding his sleek frame.

He revved his engine a few times, feeling the power as it surged through him.

"_All right. Esebu, prepare for departure!_" Hokuto ordered.

"Roger that!" he replied in his deep baritone voice. He waited as the tunnel in front of him opened, exposing its dark interior.

The signal beside him turned green and he disengaged his brakes, putting more power to his wheels. "Esebu, E7 Kagayaki... all aboard!" he declared.

With a blast from his horn, he sped into the tunnel, flicking on his lights as he did so.

Destination: Hokkaido

* * *

**MARUNOUCHI BUILDING**

**BASEMENT**

* * *

"What do you mean he just vanished?" Miku blurted. "You said it yourself! He isn't as stealthy as a ninja!"

"There's no trace of him anywhere, and we saw him head down this way," Shinobu explained as he poked around for any sign of their friend.

The boy was a skilled tracker, she knew, but even his skills were of no use to track him down. It seemed that Tsuranuki had vanished off the face of the earth.

The rabbit Faunus inched down the hallway, her eyes narrowed as she hefted her kendo sword in one hand. Beside her, Shinobu walked, a kunai held in each hand. His eyes were hard as he looked around, every one of his senses primed for a potential attacker.

"Hello? Tsuranuki?" Miku called.

"Are you here?" Shinobu called.

No answer.

Nothing except the humming of the electricity.

The ninja glanced around."..." He didn't know why, but he felt as if... something were here...

His eyes landed on a door that appeared to be locked.

"Shinobu?" Miku was confused. "What's up?"

"I'm not sure... but it feels like something is here... calling us..." He narrowed his eyes as he sheathed a kunai and crept to the locked door.

"How could anything be calling us here? We're the only ones here," Miku pointed out.

"Oh, really?" Shinobu grasped the door knob and turned it. The door creaked open and the two peeped inside.

What they saw really baffled them.

Before them were several pods, each of them bearing a strange insignia on their sides. One of them was active, and it had a blue, white, and golden yellow color scheme. The front of it resembled the cockpit glass of a _shinkansen_, and inside it was...

"_Tsuranuki!_" both cried as they ran in.

They could barely see him beneath the glass, but it was him. A helmet of some kind rested on his head and he appeared to be sleeping. His chest rose and fell with each breath, and he lay in some kind of chair that acted as a bed of sorts as well.

Miku knocked on the glass with a hand. "Tsuranuki?"

No answer. He didn't budge or stir. He was out cold.

"What happened to him?" Miku asked.

Shinobu narrowed his eyes as he scanned the pods. "I don't know, but I think it has to do with these pods..." he mused. "Maybe..." He scanned them, noticing how they had numbers and words inscribed on them. One of them read _E3_ _Tsubasa._ Another read _H5 Hayabusa_. "I wonder what these are for..."

The rabbit Faunus frowned as she inched closer to the one that read _H5 Hayabusa_. "Let's see..." She peered in, only for Shinobu to accidentally bump her into it as he started to examine the pod he was closest to. He turned at her yelp and he was surprised to see her lying face down, the helmet partially resting on her head. She groaned as she turned around in the pod and blinked through the visor. "Shinobu!" she grumped.

"Sorry," the boy remarked. "But I think you had better get out of there until we know what we are dealing with."

She nodded and was about to when the lid began to hiss shut. "Ah! Uh, Shinobu?"

The boy backed up, shocked, until his foot caught on one of the cables and he tripped, falling back into the pod labeled _E3 Tsubasa_. He landed on his rump in the pod as the helmet flopped over his head partially. The same hiss came from the pod and he perked up in shock. "Oh... Glob...!" he murmured.

Just what had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**OBSERVATION DECK**

* * *

"Sir! Two more units have been activated!"

Hokuto's gaze snapped from the main monitor showing Esebu en route to the other side of the deck's window. He looked out and he was surprised to see the lights slowly coming online within the E3 and H5 units respectively.

"Who activated them?" he asked.

Akagi narrowed his eyes as the names popped up. "Miku Hatsune and Shinobu Tsukiyama," he read off.

The director felt a small smile cross his lips, although he didn't like the twisting feeling he was getting. He knew what it was: guilt. But at the same time, that meant that Esebu would have reinforcements coming.

If they didn't freak out at their new frames, that is.

He turned to look at Futaba. "You keep in contact with Esebu. I got two new _Shinkalion_ warriors to debrief."

She nodded and donned the headset as he handed it off to her.

"Esebu, do you read me?" she asked.

"_Yes,_" came the reply. "_I'm approaching the area now._"

"Good. I'm going to send the rail directly to your location," she replied as she typed in a command at her keyboard.

She watched the monitor as it showed the blue energy rail linking up with the main one. She observed the blue and white _shinkansen_ as it sped down the rail, zeroing in on the capture field.

"Once you get into the field, transform at once," she ordered. "And be prepared. We don't know what kind of abilities this new Grimm has."

"_Understood,_" Esebu replied.

* * *

**HOKKAIDO CAPTURE FIELD**

* * *

Esebu entered the field at full throttle.

As soon as he did though, he swore that had he been human, his mouth would've fallen open.

The Grimm was not on the platform like they had figured. Instead, what appeared to be a web of sorts covered the entire diameter of the field, suspending the Grimm above the central platform. He could already see that the rails above were covered by the stuff, keeping him from ascending. He growled in the back of his vocalizer as he applied his brakes.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

He transformed into his more humanoid form and landed on the platform pylon, looking up at the spider Grimm with his green-yellow optics. "The hell is this thing doing?" he muttered.

The spider Grimm looked a lot different than he had expected. For one thing, it did have the lower body of a spider, but with two pairs of legs instead of four. The second pair of legs acted as a pair of arms and the last pair was arched over its back, like a pair of pincers. It looked biomechanical... Esebu frowned to himself in his thoughts. Something was wrong. No Grimm looked like this.

"Commander Futaba, what should I do?" he asked.

"_For now, be careful, and try to get to higher ground. If that thing attacks, be ready to run on the rails,_" she ordered.

"_Hai_." Esebu nodded and ran for the closest ramp. He skidded to a stop and looked up, his optics pulsing a bit. It was going to be a tight squeeze to get through the gap...

He ran for the closest gap and sprang up, kicking off the wall of the energy field. His hand lashed out to catch onto the webbing, only for a yelp of disgust to escape his vocalizer. He let go and landed on the ramp, shaking his hand with a whine. "Eeew! Gross!" he whined. "This stuff is like rotting flesh!"

"_Esebu, be careful! We don't know what that stuff is made of!_" Futaba cautioned.

He finally shook the last of it off his hand as he looked up. "Yeah? Try telling me that _before_ I grab it next time!" he snarked.

The _Shinkalion_ turned back to the gap. There had to be another way to get past it... without touching that goopy web.

He clenched his fists as he started to back up. There was no way he could get past that stuff. "Dammit... I'm trapped..." he muttered.

However, he needn't have worried for too long. The Rope Spider suddenly whipped its head around and fired off sticky black cables that wrapped themselves around one of his feet and arms. He looked down, only to yelp as he was pulled off the main platform and into the air. The Grimm swung him around and the cables snapped from the force of the throw, causing him to slam into one of the panels of the capture field. A grunt escaped him as he hit the field hard, causing a few cracks to appear. He peeled off of it like wallpaper and landed on his hands and knees, panting. His entire back ached from the impact.

The _Shinkalion_ looked up, his optics locking onto the Rope Spider as it sprang off the web and came right for him.

He rolled to the side as the Grimm landed on the rail. He turned and his hands clenched into fists as he stood up. He held out his hand and summoned his Wheelset Drill to his grasp. He held it out to the side before he lunged for the Rope Spider. The spider Grimm roared before it thrust its legs forward to try and catch him. The _Shinkalion_ rolled to the left and thrust his drill up towards its exposed underbelly, only for it to flash its eyes and leap away. He watched as it landed on the webbing and he growled to himself. "Shit..." he muttered.

He looked down at the webbing, growling to himself. No doubt if he set foot out there, he'd be stuck. He growled as he inched closer to it and looked at the Rope Spider. It narrowed its eyes and squealed a roar as it attacked with that webbing again. Esebu leapt to the side and landed on the rail, skidding back before breaking into a run, trying to avoid the sticky cables as they lashed out to try and catch him. He ssrang away from a few before he flipped and landed higher up, turning around and flipping the Grimm the bird.

That turned out to be a big mistake.

The next thing he knew, the Rope Spider was leaping towards him, its legs spread wide to clamp around him!

He was trapped.

Esebu cried out in shock as the thing landed on top of him, pinning his arms to his sides and disarming him of his drill. It landed on the edge of the rail as the Rope Spider proceeded to reel itself up off the track with him in its grasp. He looked down in fear as he felt his engine racing in his chest. What was this thing doing?!

He started to squirm, but the Rope Spider leaned in and suddenly, thick strands of black gooey cable wound themselves around his chest and arms, keeping him bound. He tried to kick with his legs, but the Grimm proceeded to bind his legs together, too, keeping him in place. He struggled against the bindings, but they were surprisingly strong considering their gooey appearance. Some small part of him told him it was futile, but he refused to give up. Esebu strained, channeling his Aura into his hydraulics, but even with the boost, the ropes were just too strong.

He heard a hissing sound and he looked up, only to gulp in fright as the Rope Spider inched closer to him, its eyes fixed on his throat. He stared in shock as the mouth opened, exposing fangs that glistened in the light of the field. He began to shake, his optics pulsing in fright.

The Rope Spider began to creep towards its prey, its mandibles moving as it inched closer, savoring the terror he was feeling. Esebu began to shake in his armor as the spider slowly came closer... with each step, his terror only grew.

He could only hope for a miracle at this point.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE:**_

**Name: Rope Spider**

**Species: Kaiju**

**Class: Mega**

**Basis: Spider**

**Abilities: Able to fire off gooey cables to form webs; can emit frost from the fridge units on its sides; can sap energy from electrical objects; able to regenerate thanks to the Dark Grimm Cells in its body**


	9. DUAL

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: H5 HAYABUSA_**

_The second unit to be activated, the H5 is equipped with a system known as the Yubari Heat System. This makes it suited for cold weather operations. The unit is armed with the Turnstile Sword, a weapon suited for close combat. The sword is capable of generating an energy cage modeled after a turnstile found in modern stations._

_In humanoid form it stands at twenty six and a half meters in height and weighs one hundred tons in both battle and default forms. The unit is equipped with wings and thrusters in its ankles for quick movement while it has claws on its feet for traction._

_The driver of this unit is Miku Hatsune._

**_E3 TSUBASA_**

_The third unit to be activated, the E3 is built around the use of ninjutsu. Therefore it makes sense that a ninja would make the best use of it. It is capable of generating illusions and performing ninja moves, and its lighter frame allows it to move with greater agility. It is capable of moving along walls like they were a floor._

_This unit is equipped with the Railway Crossing Shuriken, which also double as kunai knives. The shuriken can even be upgraded into a more powerful form._

_The driver of this unit is Shinobu Tsukiyama._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"What does it mean to become terrified of something?" The figure leaned forward, their eyes fixed on the audience. "That is what many people have sought to figure out. Of course, it can only be experienced first hand, and not everyone has the same fear. So, when you encounter something terrifying, what course of action will you take? Will you run... or will you fight?"

* * *

**CHAPTER VIII - DUAL**

The interior of the hangar bay was silent as Hokuto observed the two newest units from the observation deck.

They were staggering around as the new presence inside them tried to gain control of the frames; well, the green and white one was.

The purple and white unit was more or less examining itself in detail as the hands flexed.

He waited for a few minutes like he had with Tsuranuki before he raised the mike.

"Units H5 and E3. Can you hear me?" he asked.

The green and white unit yelped in a more sultry female voice at the tone of his voice and landed on her butt as she fell. The purple and white unit looked up, optics dimming as a low hum came from his chest.

"_W-Wh-Who are you?!_" the green and white unit squeaked. "_A-And what happened to us?!_"

"Just calm down. Everything will be explained shortly," Hokuto said.

"_Why are you referring to us as Units H5 and E3?_" the purple and white unit inquired in a deeper, smooth, almost cultured voice.

"..." Hokuto was silent. He remained silent as he toggled the switch to shut down the synthetic voice. The light shut off and he raised the mike to his mouth again.

"Shinobu Tsukiyama and Miku Hatsune," he said, using their names.

The purple and white unit - Shinobu - jerked back in shock as he looked up at the camera with his new light blue optics. The green and white unit - Miku - squeaked in shock as her hands flew to her new faceplate. The green and white rabbit ear extensions on the back of her helm folded back in response to her mood.

"_Mr...Hayasugi?!_" Shinobu whispered. "_Is that you?!_"

"Yes," the director said. "It's me."

"_What in Glob's name happened to us?!_" Miku shrieked.

Hokuto sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a hand. "It's a long story, but... to put it simply... you guys have been selected to become part of a new project to try and help combat the Kaiju-class Grimm that have been surfacing since fifteen years ago," he began. "This project, called Project SHINKALION, is designed to fight against threats like Mothra which attacked Tokyo almost eight months ago. I'm sure you two remember that."

Shinobu stood up straight, lowering his hands to his sides. "_I remember that clearly. When we went to your wife's funeral, Hayato was upset for the entire time, and he was upset for days after._"

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yes. And after that attack, I realized something that no one else had noticed until now."

"_What?_" Miku asked as she lowered her hands from her faceplate.

Here the director lowered his head. "Japan... is engaged in a war of attrition against these beasts... And it's only a matter of time before we run out of support." His tone was grim as he continued. "Each attack we've been losing more and more Hunters and Huntresses to these things. It's gotten to the point where the SDF has to mobilize to bolster the weakened ranks of Huntsmen in our country. Plus, people are starting to lose hope. With each Kaiju attack, more and more people die and damage keeps piling up. So this project is designed to give people hope again. And to liberate Japan from her despair."

He looked up, his gaze locking onto the main monitor showing the two new _Shinkalion_ warriors.

"Just as the Shinkansen liberated us from poverty and boosted us to an economic powerhouse, the very same trains can liberate us from despair. That's the reasoning behind the naming of the project. SHINKAnsen LIberates Our Nation. SHINKALION," he continued. "And that is what we have names the frames you now wear."

"Shinkalion?" Shinobu asked in a confused tone.

"Yes." Hokuto nodded. His eyes fixed on them as both gazed at the camera. "You two, along with your friends, will be the ones to don these frames and take the fight to the Kaiju Grimm when they make their appearances. And as such, it will fall to you to guard the country's cities from the Kaiju."

"..." Both _Shinkalions_ were silent as they took in this information.

"_But why us?_" Shinobu asked. "_Why not anyone else?_"

"Because you six are the only ones who can use these frames," Hokuto explained. "While they can be used by others, they are not able to use them to their full potential due to an insufficient compatibility rate."

"_And Tsuranuki?_" Miku inquired. "_He's a part of this too, right? So... where is he?_"

Hokuto sighed and rubbed his head with a hand. "I guess it's as good a time as any to explain..."

* * *

**HOKKAIDO CAPTURE FIELD**

* * *

Esebu was terrified out of his wits.

He couldn't believe he was about to be drained dry.

The Rope Spider's eyes flickered as it inched closer, its mandibles moving as if savoring the terror and fear it was sensing. Much like a standard Grimm.

But this thing was far from it.

The way it was looking at him was like a predator seeking to eat its prey.

The _Shinkalion_ struggled against his bindings, but it was no use. The spider Grimm seemed to chuckle a little as it pulled away before the two strange containers on its sides lit up.

Esebu began to panic. What was it doing?! What _were_ those things?!

The next thing he knew, a blast of icy cold air struck him dead center and he shivered against his will, his armor starting to ice over from the intense cold. He sensed his internal temperature dropping and he tried to draw his legs closer to his chest, but it was no use. He was bound as tight as a fly in a web.

"_Esebu! Get out of there!_" Futaba screeched in his head.

"_I can't!_" Esebu protested over his COMM system. "_I'm stuck like a roll of sushi!_"

Futaba's exclamation was suddenly cut off and Esebu cried out as the cold finally cut off his COMM system's signal. "Ah, shit!" he muttered.

The Rope Spider adjusted itself as it began to crawl closer, its eyes gleaming as something akin to a tongue slithered out slowly to lick at its mouth components. The blue and white _Shinkalion_ began to shiver, not just from the cold, but also from fright. His optics locked onto it as it came closer to him. "Glob no...!" he whispered.

The Grimm roared in triumph before it drove its mandibles into his throat.

Esebu roared in pain as it began to drain his energy reserves.

"_ESEBU!_" Futaba's voice was loud in his head as he tried to struggle. But the Rope Spider didn't even budge.

The spider continued to sap his energy levels. Esebu felt his frame starting to slow down. It was subtle, but it was happening, and he began to worry that somehow he would even _die_ like this! He didn't want to die like this. Not one bit!

In desperation, he flared his Aura, throwing the Rope Spider off with the suddenness of the move. The Rope Spider narrowed its eyes as it sprang away, baring its mandibles. Esebu looked up, his chest heaving as he flared his optics. While his Aura had saved him, it was only a matter of time before the thing came back to sip a little more of his energy resveres - and possibly his life force, as well.

"B-Bastard...!" he growled.

The Rope Spider just stayed where it was. It turned and leapt away, deciding to come back when its prey had exhausted itself in its attempts to escape. But Esebu was not going anywhere. The strength of the cables holding him made sure of that. And when coupled with the cold starting to seep into his systems, he was sure the thing would be back in a matter of minutes.

"_Esebu, are you all right?!_" came the panicked voice of Futaba.

"_Y-Yes... Just a bit exhausted..._" Esebu responded. "_It tried to sap my energy reserves..._"

"_That's bad news!_" the operations coordinator exclaimed. "_You _have_ to get free from that webbing!_"

"_A lot easier said than done, mind you!_" Esebu retorted as he struggled. "_This stuff is super strong!_"

"_Well, do what you can. Help is on the way!_" Futaba remarked.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

The two trains sat at their departure stations, engines running.

"_Now, you two know where to go, right?_" Hokuto asked.

"Yes, we do," Shinobu replied, his voice sounding more cultured and refined than his old human voice.

Miku was silent, but the purple and white _Shinkalion_ figured she was in agreement with him.

"_Good. Your mission is to go assist Esebu in taking down this Grimm. It's proving to be difficult for him to do alone,_" the director said.

"What is his situation like?" Miku asked finally, her voice being more sultry and husky in comparison to her human voice. And actually it made Shinobu's frame shudder a bit. But he brushed it aside as he directed his attention to the mission at hand. He slowly started to shift his wheels forward, but he didn't go just yet.

"_Esebu is currently being held captive by the Kaiju-class Grimm. It's started to drain his energy reserves as well as lower his internal temperature to try and keep him weakened,_" Hokuto explained. "_Your mission is to get there before the thing drains him dry._"

"I take it there is a risk for this?" Shinobu inquired.

"_..._" Hokuto's silence was enough to make him frown in his thoughts. "_...There is... a good chance that if your souls are not ejected, you could lose your life like this..._" he muttered softly. "_Especially in a situation like this._"

"All the more reason for us to go then," Miku noted.

"_Yes. So good luck. We're counting on you two!_" the director said.

The two _Shinkalions_ started their engines as the signal turned green. Already the two tunnels in front were opening, and they put more power to their wheels.

"Shinobu, E3 Tsubasa..." Shinobu said.

"Miku, H5 Hayabusa..." Miku stated.

"...all aboard!" both declared as one.

The two put their engines into full speed as they exited their stations and sped into the tunnels. The doors closed shut behind them and Shinobu flicked on his lights.

In truth, he wasn't sure about this whole thing. But right now, he had a friend to save. And maybe once this was over, they could get some answers.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

* * *

Sammael couldn't help but smirk as he watched the blue and white mecha struggle against his bindings as the Rope Spider continued to siphon away his energy reserves.

The Rope Spider was proving to be the best Grimm ever created.

Not only had it immobilized and trapped the train mecha, it was also draining him of his energy slowly but surely. And the cold generators on its sides prevented him from doing much except squirm.

Beside him I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. stood, his optics pulsing as a hum rumbled free from his chest.

"My friend, your Grimm has proven to be exceptional," he remarked.

"Yes. If only because I have taken the time to implement techniques I have picked up over my tenure as a scientist," the Devil Gundam rumbled. Then he turned his green optics to the Fallen. "I take it that the robot has been sapped of his energy?"

"Not fully. It's still draining him," Sammael remarked. "It should finish draining him within the hour, if all goes as planned."

The Fallen/Gundam hybrid nodded in approval. "Good. Once he has been taken care of, then we can focus on other objectives..."

The red-haired Fallen was in agreement, but in some ways, there were always things that seemed to disrupt his plans. Like the ancient entity of Cheyenne Mountain all those years ago had. He could recall it as clear as day, along with the attack on the outpost of those extraterrestrials. He couldn't quite recall what they were known as, but they had been a veritable nuisance with their ability to change shape. And it didn't help matters that several of them had escaped during the last few days of combat.

Sammael looked back to the screen showing the fight, and his Seer moved in closer. A glint appeared in his red eyes. "Soon, my friend... Soon..." he purred.

* * *

**HOKKAIDO CAPTURE FIELD**

* * *

Esebu was now starting to feel the drain on his systems.

His energy reserves were getting sucked dry by that Rope Spider, and there was no way he could break free.

It was taking all his strength and willpower to remain online.

"D-Dammit..." he stammered; due to the cold his systems were sluggish.

Esebu looked around, trying to get an idea as to where the Rope Spider was coming from next. He had a few small bite marks on his neck from that thing, including some near his shoulders. It seemed like it was savoring his energy, like it was a tasty treat.

His frame shuddered against his will as he watched the Rope Spider come closer from the left this time, its mandibles lashing together in anticipation of its next treat.

"S-Shit...!" Esebu growled. "S-Stay... b-back!"

The Grimm didn't answer, nor did it halt its advance. Esebu began to shake in terror as it came, trying to figure out a plan. But so far there was nothing he could do. He was trapped, unable to move or do anything except have his energy drained away. And if that happened... for all he knew, he could really die like this!

He was so tempted to just disconnect, but the only problem was he didn't know how. Sure he knew how to connect to the frame, but how to disconnect was an entirely different matter. From what he knew, the link worked both ways with the tendril his soul followed, but when the power was drained from his batteries was when he was usually sent back to his human form.

The _Shinkalion_ was effectively trapped.

He glanced up, his optics locking onto those of the Rope Spider as it inched closer, as if savoring his last moments before he was drained dry.

"Please..." he whispered. "Don't..."

The spider reared back to drive its mandibles into his neck once more...

Only for a loud horn to blare in the background.

His helm shot up as the Rope Spider looked around, seeking the source of the sound. And so did Esebu.

The next thing he knew, a flash of light came from the side of the capture field and he gaped in shock at the sleek purple and white shape as it barreled down one of the rail tracks.

The incoming train was painted primarily white with purple going along the front of the train and across the top of it. The sides had red-orange stripes separating the purple and white, and on its side was a _sakura_ cherry blossom tree, the words JR East Japan Railway Company below it. The Rope Spider whirled around at the sound of this new _shinkansen_, and with a squealing roar, it leapt off the cables binding Esebu tightly.

"W-What...?" Esebu was too stunned to even make a coherent sentence. His optics were watching the newcomer as it sped around, avoiding the gooey cables like it was... a ninja train...?

Then, the unexpected happened.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_" came a new voice, deep and rather cultured.

The _shinkansen_'s front and rear engines separated from the rest of the train before they linked up. Then, much to Esebu's surprise, the upper half folded out to reveal a pair of arms and shoulder guards much like his own, and the nose of the train became the chest of the unknown mecha it was turning into. The rear of the train unfolded into a pair of legs, with primarily white upper legs and purple lower legs, protected by the shell of the rear engine. The new machine's head emerged from the chest of its humanoid form, a pair of light blue optics flaring online. The new mecha landed on the rail closest to Esebu and crouched, holding two fingers in front of its faceplate.

The new robot looked just like him, almost. Except for the colors. The robot's shoulder guards were purple at the top, separated from the white bottom half with a yellow stripe. The chest was the same colors, with red lines fading to orange though instead. The legs were primarily white on the top and purple on the bottom, but on the middle sections there appeared to be a fishnetting pattern that was golden in color. Even on the forearms that pattern was visible. The helmet of the new robot was purple, but a silver component resembling a ninja's headband adorned its forehead and on the center was a symbol resembling a split crescent moon.

Esebu was shocked as this new mecha - no, this new _Shinkalion_ \- held out a hand and summoned a pair of strangely shaped kunai knives. He grabbed them both and then slapped them together to form a shuriken of sorts. This shuriken was an orange color, and on its blades were yellow and black stripes, resembling the crossing gates used across the country.

The unknown _Shinkalion_ tensed his frame before he threw the shuriken - right at Esebu!

He screamed as the projectile came at him...

Only to cut clean through the ropes binding his arms to his sides.

Esebu was in shock as the ropes fell away. He looked down rather stupidly at his hands before the realization hit home and he looked up. The Rope Spider was coming back, and it was not looking happy.

The _Shinkalion_ grasped at the ropes binding his legs together and with a grunt, he tugged on them with his full strength.

They strained under his grip, but after a few seconds of pulling, they broke with a loud _snap_.

Esebu fell, landing briefly on the web below him before he sprang off, landing on the rail closest to him. He grasped his arms and started to rub them, shivering from the cold. "Geez! It's so friggin' cold!" he muttered.

The ninja-like _Shinkalion_ landed beside him, looking at him with those blue optics. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Esebu nodded. "Yeah, though I'm gonna be feeling this for a while!" he remarked. "By the way, who are you?"

"The name is..." The newcomer's voice trailed off as he looked down, as if trying to think. He glanced at his shuriken and then he perked up. He glanced to Esebu. "The name's Fumikiri," he said.

Esebu tilted his helm to the side in confusion, only to hear the Rope Spider squeal in rage as it leapt towards them, its eyes flashing.

The two _Shinkalions_ dodged the gooey cables as they were launched for them, landing atop another rail and glancing down at them in mild shock.

Esebu was by now panting from having his energy drained. He slumped to his knees, his vision flashing with a warning.

**WARNING!**

**ENERGY LEVELS AT 47%**

**AURA RESERVES AT 45%**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 10 HOURS**

"Shit...!" was all he could rasp.

"Esebu... let us handle this," Fumikiri said as he hefted his shuriken.

"We?" Esebu asked. Now suspicion was filling his processor. "And how'd you know my name?"

"The humans weren't the only ones observing that fight against the Faunus Ultra that day," was all his companion said just as another train horn blared.

Esebu snapped his helm up in shock as he watched a _second_ _shinkansen_ coming down the rails. This one threw the _Shinkalion_ for a loop, as he had only seen it a few times before on family trips to Hokkaido. But it was there.

The H5 _Hayabusa_.

The exterior finish of the H5 was similar to the E5, with a color scheme of "Tokiwa" (常盤) green for the upper body and "Hiun" (飛雲) white for the lower body, separated by a "Saika" (彩香) purple stripe intended to evoke images of lilac, lupin, and lavender flowers for which Hokkaido was famous. On its side was the symbol of the JR Hokkaido Railway Company - an eagle with a pair of mountains behind it.

Then...

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_" This time, the voice was more sultry and huskier, a female voice.

The _shinkansen_'s front and rear engines separated from the rest of the train before they linked up. Then, as with Fumikiri, the upper half folded out to reveal a pair of arms and shoulder guards much like his own, and the nose of the train became the chest of the unknown mecha it was turning into. The rear of the train unfolded into a pair of legs, with primarily white upper legs and green lower legs, protected by the shell of the rear engine. The new machine's head emerged from the chest of its humanoid form, a pair of bright yellow optics flaring online. The new mecha landed on the rail not too far off and grasped a sword in one hand, swinging it before letting it hang at its side.

The new _Shinkalion_ was clearly supposed to be female, as the upper legs appeared to have more of a curve to them than he and Fumikiri, Esebu noted. Her upper legs were primarily white with a few orange accents on them while her lower legs were green, with orange claws on her feet for traction, he guessed. The locomotive shell of the rear engine clung to her thighs like a skirt of some kind, but also acted as armor for her legs. Her chest was clearly the nose of her _shinkansen_ form, and her shoulders, like him and Fumikiri, were covered by shoulder guards made from the back of the front engine. The upper part of her chest was green with a purple stripe bisecting it from the white lower half. The same went for her shoulder guards. Her lower arms were protected by white armor as well. Her helm was mostly grey, with some hints of green and silver culminating in a silver commander's fin, but more feminine in style and shape. An orange vent rested on either side of her pure white faceplate. But what surprised him was the fact that this femme had _wings_. Well, not true wings, but more like some kind of thruster emitters.

The sword was also interesting, as it looked to be made from part of a turnstile in a train station. The only differences were the glowing pinkish orange blade and the hilt extending out from the turnstile component.

Esebu rubbed his optics for a moment, surprised that there was a _female_ _Shinkalion_ here instead of another male.

"Hey. Stop staring!" the femme snapped. "We have a mission, do we not?"

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ yelped and turned away, his faceplate burning a beet red. "R-Right!" he squeaked.

The female turned to Fumikiri. "You have a plan, I take it?" she asked.

"I do," the ninja _Shinkalion_ replied. "So I need you to strike when I give the signal."

"_Hai._" The femme nodded and got into a stance that Esebu recognized as a kendo stance. She turned to him and shook her helm as she saw he was about to move. "No. You stay here," she said. "Especially seeing as how you are running low on power."

Esebu knew she was right, but he just couldn't sit by and let them handle it. He staggered to his feet, fighting against the exhaustion and fatigue that was creeping up on him. His legs shook, but he forced it aside as he glanced to where his drill lay. "Sorry... but I can't let you fight this thing alone!" he rasped. "You don't know what it can do..."

"Yes, that is true," Fumikiri said. "But it is also imperative that you take it easy, Esebu. We can handle this from here."

The femme nodded. "And before you ask, my name is Haifu, Esebu," she said, as if sensing the question forming in his processor.

The two _Shinkalions_ turned and leapt off the rail, Fumikiri landing on the spider's webbing while Haifu hefted her sword and flipped, landing atop another rail further up.

Esebu watched as they waited, the Rope Spider observing them both. Then it was on the move, its legs skittering along the webbing as more of that goopy cable shot from its mouth to try and bind them together. Fumikiri's optics flashed as he summoned his shuriken and threw it, the blades whirring like a buzz saw. The spider's cables were deflected by it, but then more of them were fired, and Haifu was on the move. Her optics pulsed and she leapt off the rail she was perched on, her sword glowing a brilliant pinkish orange. She let out a short cry and slashed, cutting through the cables with ease, like a knife through butter. She landed on the webbing before she leapt off, her left foot lashing out in a roundhouse that knocked the spider back. It staggered, losing its grip on its web.

Fumikiri saw his opening and launched himself off the webbing, his right foot kicking upward and sending the Rope Spider skyward.

"Now, Haifu!" he cried.

The femme nodded and held up her sword. A flash of light erupted from it, and then Esebu saw the red circle with the line in the center on the side. '_The hell?!_' he thought. '_What kind of weapon is that?!_'

She held her sword up just as a flash of light came off of the blade. Then, much to Esebu's surprise, he stared in shock as two energy gates - like those of a turnstile in the train station - formed on either side of the Rope Spider, trapping it as two gates clasped shut on either side. Haifu's wings flared as pinkish-green particles emitted from them, boosting her speed as she lunged for the spider. "HAAAAH! _Turnstile Sword!_"

At the same time, Fumikiri summoned his shuriken again, holding it up before he threw it. "_Fumikiri Shuriken!_"

Both _Shinkalions_ connected their weapons with the Rope Spider, cutting it clean in half.

Or so they thought.

Esebu had seen what they had not: the scaly grey metal that covered it spreading out. And as soon as their weapons had made contact... it started to repair itself.

He couldn't let them fight this thing alone!

Ignoring the fatigue in his systems, Esebu scrambled over to where his drill lay and he grasped it before turning back to the Rope Spider. "Wait!" he cried. "STOP!"

But the two didn't hear him. He had to get to them, and fast!

The _Shinkalion_ charged forward, his treads whirring in his audios as he reached the edge of the rail and leapt off, his Aura seething as he channeled it into his drill. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His optics pulsed as he thrust his drill forward, slamming it into the healing gap. "AAAAAAAAH!"

Both Fumikiri and Haifu were caught off guard by his sudden attack as he jammed his drill into the Grimm's midsection. "What in Glob's name are you doing?!" Fumikiri barked.

"Trying to save your sorry asses!" Esebu shot back. "This thing can regenerate!"

Haifu was shocked by the statement, only to stare in shock at the truth in front of her.

The Rope Spider was indeed healing itself... or trying to, as Esebu's drill was going full speed, slowly drilling deeper into its abdomen.

Haifu looked to Fumikiri in confusion and concern before he lowered his helm and a seething purple, reddish orange, and white Aura began to form around his frame. He looked up, his optics hard as he separated his shuriken into kunai.

She took the hint and focused, her own Aura - green, purple, and white - beginning to seethe over her own frame and down to her sword.

The threesome broke off as the Rope Spider started to struggle against its bindings. "Let's finish this," she said.

"Yeah!" Esebu gasped, panting heavily.

"On three then!" Fumikiri said. "One..."

Esebu dimmed his optics a shade as he dove down.

"Two..."

Fumikiri tensed as he hefted his kunai and prepared to throw them.

"Three..." Haifu held her sword at the ready.

"GO!"

All three _Shinkalions_ dove for the Rope Spider, their weapons wreathed in Aura. Esebu's drill dug deep into its chest while Fumikiri threw his kunai towards the spider Grimm's midsection, Haifu slashing clean down the back with her blade.

The three simultaneous blows were enough to finish off the Rope Spider. It let out a squealing roar before it exploded into smoke, the webbing vanishing into smoke as well. The three descended down to the platform below.

Esebu landed on his feet before his legs gave out and he fell to his hands and knees, dropping his drill as he did so. It vanished before it even hit the ground. Beside him Haifu landed gracefully, dismissing her sword shortly after. Fumikiri landed next in a ninja crouch as he dismissed his kunai. He stood up and slowly made his way over to Esebu. "You look like you've been better," he joked as he held out a hand for the exhausted _Shinkalion_. Esebu looked up and managed a weak chuckle.

"Yeah... I have been better," he rasped as he took his hand. Esebu allowed himself to be hauled to his feet, his arm draped over Fumikiri's shoulders. Haifu approached and slipped his other arm over her shoulders and shook her helm.

"Boys..." she muttered.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

**DARKLANDS**

* * *

Sammael let out a hum of amusement as he watched the three mecha leave the field. "I must say, despite the loss, your Grimm has proven quite interesting," he told the large Gundam behind him.

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. rumbled in thoughtfulness. "Yes. So, I take it you will be using more of them?" he asked.

The red-haired Fallen nodded. "Yes. The idea is sound, but I will make a few adjustments to the base design. However, I will keep the rest the same," he said.

The Devil Gundam felt a pulse of satisfaction in his chest. "I'm glad you intend to use it," he remarked. "Especially given that I never even considered such a thing until now."

"My friend, a whole new world has opened up to you," Sammael explained as he turned to face him. "And that world has much to offer. It can give you the strength to bring down Joseph and his companions, as well as that oaf called a scientist."

"Yes. And despite my initial dislike, you have taken an interest in my work. For that, I am grateful," the Gundam/Fallen said. "And I have an inkling you intend to send another Kaiju to Tokyo?"

"More than that," Sammael grinned. "I intend this time... to make some small part of Tokyo into my next Kaiju. But I need some ideas..."

Now I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. had an idea. A rumble escaped his vocalizer as a few Grimm came to his processor. "I have one in mind..." he purred.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

"So, you mean to tell me that those two other _Shinkalion_ were really Miku and Shinobu?!" Tsuranuki blurted.

Hokuto nodded as he looked to the trio of teenagers before him. "Yes. They recently stumbled into the pod room and wound up activating the two units, the E3 and H5, respectively." He lowered his head. "I honestly wasn't expecting them to come into the scene right when they did. But it was fortunate as they were able to save you and the E7 from an uncertain fate."

Tsuranuki looked to his two friends. Both were eyeing him critically, and he gulped. "Uh... I... Uh..."

"Tsuranuki, why did you not tell us?" Miku asked.

"Yeah. We would've been able to help," Shinobu said.

"It's that this is supposed to be top secret..." Tsuranuki admitted. "So I couldn't tell any of you guys for fear that it could be exposed..." He rubbed the back of his neck as he averted his gaze. "Especially given Satyra's reach is starting to expand..."

The rabbit Faunus looked a bit fearful before she realized that he had a good point. Shinobu on the other hand narrowed his eyes. He suspected that there was more to it than just keeping it secret from Satyra.

"This project... It seems to me that it's more than just a means to combat Kaiju. Am I right?" he asked.

Director Hayasugi ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I can't say that is the only reason, but what I _can_ say is this: This project will give the people of Japan hope. That is why it was developed as well."

The ninja frowned, but accepted the explanation regardless.

"Anyway, you two have had your codenames entered into the system. So you're all set," the cat Faunus explained.

The two teens nodded as they saluted. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

**PROJECT: SHINKALION**

**FILE 1-X02**

**UNIT: E3 TSUBASA**

**HEIGHT: 26.0 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 95 TONS**

**COLORS: PURPLE AND WHITE WITH REDDISH ORANGE LININGS**

**OPTIC COLOR: LIGHT BLUE**

**WEAPON: RAILWAY CROSSING SHURIKEN**

**EQUIPMENT: GRAPPLING LINES, SMOKE BOMBS**

**DRIVER: SHINOBU TSUKIYAMA**

**AURA COLORS: PURPLE, WHITE, AND REDDISH ORANGE**

* * *

**FILE 1-X03**

**UNIT: H5 HAYABUSA**

**HEIGHT: 26.0 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 100 TONS**

**COLORS: GREEN, PURPLE, WHITE**

**OPTIC COLOR: YELLOW ORANGE**

**WEAPON: TURNSTILE SWORD**

**EQUIPMENT: YUBARI HEATING SYSTEM**

**DRIVER: MIKU HATSUNE**

**AURA COLORS: GREEN, PURPLE, WHITE**

**CLOSE TERMINAL? Y/N**

**Y-E-S_**

**TERMINAL CLOSING...**


	10. SPECTRAL

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: SEPH_**

_Seph is a mysterious individual who has lived for untold centuries._

_At least according to the rumors and legends._

_Many people have called him the Boy with an Angel's Heart, as they have seen a gleaming light pulsing beneath his shirt. Some actually have claimed he is an angel, but there has been no evidence to prove that theory. No one knows what his history really is, but what is definitively known is that he has the power to fly by summoning three wings. He also has the ability to unleash explosive feathers from those wings, as well as using energy blasts and telepathic bursts unleashed from his hands. He also has the power to regenerate wounds. Of course, this is only observed, having been recorded during the battle in Beach City against the creature known as Malachite Plasmius._

_Currently his whereabouts are unknown._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Ghosts. What is a ghost? And for that matter, what is an angel?"

The figure seated at the desk adjusted their glasses before leaning in and tenting their fingers in front of their mouth.

"History and religion coexist in this manner, for in religion angels are God's agents and warriors. They often are depicted as beings with wings and halos above their heads that glow with light. They can sometimes be wearing clothing or robes, or sometimes not at all." An image of an angel in a historical painting appeared on a nearby monitor. "But sometimes they can be depicted as a society more advanced than ancient humans thought. In pre-modern times, Heaven was shown as a place of clouds ruled by a benevolent Creator and guarded by a little old man in front of pearly gates. But what if that's not the case?"

The figure dismissed the painting's image and up came a map, showing a variety of locations over which a large question mark was displayed. "How can we be sure that Heaven is as the Bible predicted? What if it's more than that? What if it's a place of advanced technology and magic as one? Or what if it's as the Bible describes? That's the thing. Once we die, we move on and we cannot communicate with the living. So, until we ourselves die and go there, we can never know for sure. But whatever it looks like, we can be certain that we can reach our loved ones there."

The figure dismissed the map and leaned back in their chair. "So next time you see some images of Heaven as a place of clouds, keep an open mind. You never know what the afterlife may hold."

* * *

**CHAPTER IX - SPECTRAL**

The next few weeks were hell for Miku and Shinobu.

Like Tsuranuki, they had to go through training.

But the only difference was that they had to train alongside him.

As with Tsuranuki before them, they had to go through the linkup process to the point it became second nature to them. And on top of that, they had to master their balance. Due to the increase in their height, the two often would up tripping more times than not. (At least they didn't slip on treads, Tsuranuki noted as he helped one of them up during a training session.) The two were put through the same process that he had been, with the obstacle course and wire walking. They wound up tripping and falling off the wire quite a few times, well, mostly Miku did. It was only after she discovered she could use her wings in _Shinkalion_ form for balance that she didn't fall off. Shinobu learned where his new center of gravity was fairly quickly, which turned out to be due to his ninja training.

Also, like Tsuranuki, they had to be up to date on the regulations and safety measures regarding the railroads. Shinobu and Miku studied diligently, scanning over the notes and watching the videos. Both of them scored higher than he had, but not significantly. He had to admit, this was quite a turn of events. Now they had three _Shinkalions_ on the team. And according to Hokuto, they needed six before the second stage was to be implemented.

The boy had been curious as to what he meant, but the director refused to speak of it. Instead he just said that the second stage would allow for broader operations, whatever that meant.

So now he lay back on his bed after another training session against Miku and Shinobu, his hands laced behind his head. In truth, some part of him was wondering how Hayato was doing. He hadn't seen him much after that attack with Suzaku.

And actually, he couldn't blame him. Anyone would be terrified of her. But Hayato was the most afraid because of why they were targeting him. Tsuranuki frowned as he turned over and grabbed his phone. He flipped through the contacts before he found the number he was looking for.

He tapped it and up came Hayato's name and number. He selected the text message function and typed out a quick message.

**Hayato? You doing okay?**

He waited for a few minutes, and then up came Hayato's image, followed by a message.

**Tsuranuki? Oh, thank Glob! I was worried sick!**

The boy sighed as a smile crossed his face.

**I'm fine,** he typed. **I'm more worried about you. I haven't seen you since that attack with that woman... Suzaku, I think her name was.**

Hayato's message came a few seconds later.

**I'm okay. But I'm scared to even go outside now, based on what happened... **His message trailed off before more came up. **...after that attack, I... I don't even want to leave my own home anymore. But... if I don't, then I'll fail classes and... I won't...**

Tsuranuki frowned. **Hayato, it's okay. No one is going to get you while we're here. We promise,** he typed out. His fingers flew over the keyboard on the screen as he typed. **If anything, we're not about to let a friend go through this alone. Hell, Miku's in the same boat, remember? She's a Faunus, and she's been scouted by them before. But she refused and after a confrontation with the police, those Satyra thugs left her alone.**

**But it's not the same with me!** Hayato typed up in a panic. It was obvious by the way the words were misspelled a bit. **They alwas try to get me becase of my knowlege of the _shinkansen_ and associated railways!**

Tsuranuki's fingers dashed over the keys. **Calm down, dammit! *slap* Just calm the hell down! It's okay! We won't let them get you! And your father won't as well! Remember that!**

The boy felt a bit guilty for not having been there for Hayato since the project was undertaken and ever since he had gotten involved. Some small part of him wished he had never gotten involved to begin with, but then again, how else would he have saved his friend from Mr. Jones?

Hayato's words came up on the screen. **Tsuranuki, thanks. But... I still feel like it would be best if-**

He was cut off by a sudden text.

***slap* Don't even go there!** came Tsuranuki's reply. **That's not how I remember you! You are better than this! You aren't even that kind of person! We know you better than you think, Hayato. If you're scared, then just remember we'll always be there for you. No matter what.**

Hayato didn't respond for a full minute, and for a moment Tsuranuki thought Hayato was going to do himself in. But then, his message came through. **T-Thank you... Tsuranuki... I don't know what I did to deserve friends like you and the others...** Accompanying the message was a small crying emoji. Tsuranuki smiled as he typed another message.

**Hey. What are friends for, Hayato? You got nothing to worry about as long as we're here... All of us.** To show he was serious, he sent an image he had taken of them all a few months ago. The image showed Hayato in the middle of his four best friends, each of them giving a thumbs up, and Hayato smiling with tears in his eyes. Behind them was the E5 Hayabusa train. That was the only time he had ever been happy to see, or even be on, the _shinkansen_. Mostly because it was for a surprise for him; they had taken a trip in Gran Class to the Sendai station, where they visited Miku's grandmother for a few weeks.

A small text appeared after it. **Thanks, Tsuranuki. You're a good friend. *sniffle* I'm just glad you and the others are here for me. I don't know what I'd do without you...**

Tsuranuki watched as his icon went dark and then he slipped his phone back onto his nightstand as he flopped back onto the bed.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Hayato..."

He opened his eyes and frowned. "What is Satyra really up to, here?" he wondered aloud.

Sure he knew that the terrorist group had a few cells in Tokyo, but so far none of them had made any overt moves against the city or its peoples, aside from trying to capture Hayato for his knowledge about the _shinkansen_ and standard rail networks. It seemed like they needed that knowledge, but for what purpose, no one knew. What few members that the police did manage to capture kept quiet of they did know, or they had no clue. It was as if they were purposely keeping their members in the dark about their objectives with the rail networks.

He pursed his lips as he rolled over and sat up, gazing at the image of himself and the others in front of the train, still visible on his phone.

Tsuranuki grasped the phone and flipped it open again, this time checking the calendar.

His eyes narrowed as he remembered that there was a training session today. He had planned to visit Hayato with Akita, but it looked like he'd have to wait until training was done. Plus, Akita was supposed to be visiting his mom's mother as she had come down with pneumonia; the doctors said she didn't have long to live, so he was off spending time with her in her last moments.

And it just wasn't _Shinkalion_ training, either. In addition to working on mastering their frames, the trio had begun working out to build up their endurance and physical capabilities as well. He wasn't sure why since their souls left their human bodies when linked up, but he had a feeling it was connected somehow to their Aura if they were going through it.

Tsuranuki rolled over and got to his feet before pocketing his phone. He didn't even say a word as he left his room.

The boy left his home after a quick goodbye to his mother, making his way down the streets of the city towards the Marunouchi Building not too far from Tokyo Station. Already he could see construction work starting to resume on the upper floors, which meant that the bottom floors were not as busy, so he was able to sneak inside and make his way down the stairs towards the hidden entrance to SDI Headquarters. He ducked inside and ran down the corridor towards the main office. As soon as he entered, he saw both Miku and Shinobu there waiting. Director Hayasugi was at his desk, waiting for him.

"Hello, sir," Tsuranuki greeted with a salute.

"Good. You're just in time," Hokuto said as he gestured for the three to sit.

The three teens took a seat in front of the desk.

Hokuto's eyes were hard as he started to speak. "It seems we've gotten word of a new impending Kaiju attack," he stated grimly. The three teenagers all gaped in shock at his words.

"Already?!" Tsuranuki blurted. "But it hasn't even been two months yet!"

"I know. This breaks the pattern that we know has been established for the last fifteen years," the director said seriously. "This is a totally new time span. And we don't know what the pattern, if there is one, will be."

"Any idea as to what Kaiju we will be facing?" Miku asked.

"Unfortunately we don't know yet," Hokuto admitted. "But we do know that it will be somewhere close to where Mothra went down last year."

Tsuranuki's eyes hardened. "Close to where your wife died..." he muttered.

"Yes." That was all the director said as he closed his eyes. "And I fear it may be the worst one to date..."

"I don't see how," Miku remarked. "It could be a small Kaiju."

"Not this one," the cat Faunus remarked as he opened his eyes. "I'm not sure how I know, but I do. It will be a bad one."

"That's why we're here though," Shinobu stated. "To prevent this from happening."

"Yes. That is why today's training is put on hold. You three are to mobilize as soon as possible to intercept this new Kaiju, whatever it may be," Director Hayasugi said.

The three teens stood up. "Yes, sir!" they said as one.

* * *

_The smog from the last remaining coal fired power plants drifts over the area._

_His eyes gleam as he holds out a hand and summons forth the Dark Substance. A portal opens above the smog and a small river of the inky blackness drips down, landing atop it and starting to absorb the smoky fog._

_He can see it beginning to shape and form, drawing in the smog. A smirk crosses his face as he vanishes in a black portal._

_The Grimm he has created continues to_ _form..._

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

Esebu finished checking over his systems as he waited for the go ahead to launch.

Beside him he could see the sleek green and white shape of Haifu and just to his left he could sense Fumikiri behind a sleek red and white _shinkansen_.

"_Okay, you three. We have sightings of a strange cloud of black smog starting to circle near the town of Hitachinaka,_" Director Hayasugi explained. "_The thing is that there's been no sighting of a Grimm, but we do have a feeling it may be just that the thing is waiting to strike._"

"Any idea as to what kind it could possibly be?" Esebu asked.

"_Unfortunately, we have no idea as to what kind it could be. For all we know it could be like Grimmzilla, or something else,_" the director admitted. "_So keep your optics peeled and be careful._"

"We will," Haifu said.

"_Hai._" That was all Fumikiri said.

The director nodded. "_Good. I also advise you to be on extra alert. As you know there is a coal fired power plant in that region, so-_"

Esebu perked up. "Wait. Did you say _coal_ fired?" he asked.

"_Yes. Why?_" Hokuto's voice was filled with confusion as Esebu began to think.

'_A coal fired power plant, and that smog... Something's wrong... But what, I can't tell..._' he thought. '_Whatever is going on, the smog is _circling_... meaning..._' His thoughts trailed off in shock.

"Oh, Glob no...!" he whispered. "That's... That's not good!"

"What's not good?" Haifu asked.

Esebu revved his engine. "If that smog is what I think it is, then that town is in danger!"

Director Hayasugi's voice was hard as he spoke to the trio. "_You three are cleared for departure!_" he said. "_Now get out there and try to stop that Grimm!_"

"_HAI!_" the three _Shinkalions_ replied.

The signal turned green and all three put power to their wheels.

"Esebu, E7 Kagayaki..."

"Fumikiri, E3 Tsubasa..."

"Haifu, H5 Hayabusa..."

"...s_huppatsu shinkō!_" they declared.

The first one to exit was Esebu, and he entered the tunnel ahead of him. He flicked on his lights as the door closed shut behind him. He revved his engine and blasted his horn as he increased speed to full.

'_Please let us get there in time!_' he thought in a panic. '_Before it's too late!_'

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

"..._recent strange happenings over JERA Hitachinakakaryoku __Power Station earlier this morning. Local authorities are just as confused as to what has been happening, but a few local Huntsmen have admitted that this is similar to a prior attack that took place fifteen years ago, back during the First Wave. As to how this will affect the town, no one is sure. But all residents are advised to stay indoors until this attack is resolved._"

The words from the news anchor were enough to make Lady Sanban worry as she pursed her lips.

Beside her stood her two daughters and the ghost girl. All three were worried as they watched the smog start to drift over the town.

"Mother, what's happening?" Kuki asked softly.

"A new attack..." she muttered. "And only a month later, too. This is a new methodology..."

"What's so different about that smog?" Dani asked.

The Demon Blade of the East closed her eyes. "That smog has been influenced by one who's darkness matches that of the Primal Darkness," she explained vaguely. "As such, it only leads me to conclude that _he_ has seen the effectiveness of it and has prepared a new kind of Grimm for battle."

The ghost hybrid tilted her head in an inquisitive manner. "Huh?"

"In short, the one behind this attack is trying again," Lady Sanban said seriously as she opened her eyes. "This latest attack could very well be what kills a town... if we don't act soon."

Dani's dual-colored eyes widened in shock, only to harden as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "I'm going!" she declared.

Lady Sanban looked at her, her eyes narrowing. "If you go, you could very well die," she cautioned. "Are you sure?"

The hybrid nodded. "Yes! I can't sit by while those people get killed!"

The Lady of Sanban Industries frowned as she closed her eyes, running this through her mind. If what she was hearing was right, then no doubt they had sent Esebu and the two new _Shinkalions_ to the scene. The one advantage those frames had was the lack of needing to breathe, so they would be spared the suffocating properties of the smog. But their filters could and would get clogged by the dust and fine particles if they weren't careful; although something told her that the director had thought ahead on the issue, using what they had learned from that similar attack.

Regardless, there was also the possibility that whatever Grimm formed would need to be contained... and what she had seen from Dani's training pointed out that she could create barriers of ectoplasmic energy.

So while she didn't want the girl to go, she also wanted her to succeed in whatever she chose to do. And that included being a Huntress.

"Very well. But be careful..." she cautioned.

Dani whooped and transformed into her ghost form, flying out through the ceiling via her intangibility.

All the while, all they could do was hope... and pray for her safety.

* * *

**HITACHINAKA BOUNDARIES**

* * *

For Akita Oga, things were not looking so good.

It didn't help matters much that his maternal grandmother was nearing the end of her life.

But to hear of this? And right when he was supposed to be making her feel better in her last moments?

He narrowed his eyes as he observed the smog as it started to encircle the town.

"What in the name of Glob is going on?" he muttered.

The boy frowned as he watched as the thick blackness began to encroach closer to the ground, and he shivered as the sun began to fade, blotted out by the smog.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight before flicking it on. The darkness was already starting to come closer and lights were starting to be covered by the smoke. Like an inky darkness that nothing could penetrate. The boy gulped nervously as he gripped his flashlight in a death grip and reached for one of his rifles.

Akita's eyes roved around the darkening street as he inched closer to the hospital where his grandmother, Tsukiko Matsushita, was located. The whole city was now engulfed, and it made his skin crawl. It was a lot like the darkness from that horror film he had seen a few days ago. His mother, Momiji Oga, was worried as she came out of the hospital to observe the situation. "Oh, Glob no...!" she whispered. "Not again...!"

Akita looked at her in concern. "You experienced this before, Mom?" he asked.

"Yes... a year before you were born. Remember I told you about it," Mrs. Oga replied. "But to have it happen again?"

The boy wasn't too sure though. Something told him it was not about to be the same style of attack.

He looked around, only for the dark fog to suddenly engulf the area, blinding everyone outside. Akita, however, being the grandson of a Matagi hunter, knew a thing or two about how to use one's senses in differing environments. That included being deprived of their sight. He closed his eyes and listened for any sign of his mother's voice.

"Akita? Akita, where are you?" she called.

"Mom, I'm right beside you!" he called back. "Just reach out your left hand!" He used his hearing to hone in on her voice and he extended his right hand. Within a few minutes, he felt her hand slide into his. He could tell it was hers by the scar on her palm from fifteen years ago when she got a piece of glass through it.

Now all that remained was to find the hospital's entrance.

* * *

Esebu was thrown off by the sudden descent into darkness.

"What the hell?!" he blurted.

"_Esebu, what happened?_" Futaba asked worriedly.

"Everything's just gone dark!" he exclaimed. "I can't see anything!"

"_That's not good..._" Futaba said softly.

"What should we do?" Esebu asked.

"..." Futaba was silent for a moment and he heard sounds of chatter in the background. He mentally cocked an eyebrow before she came back on. "_For now, stay the course. Use whatever you can to try and see where you are. If you use your lights, you may have a chance._"

Esebu pondered, then made his choice. "We'll have to go on foot," he said. "It's too dangerous to go on the tracks in conditions like this."

"_Do what you have to do, Esebu. But be careful,_" Futaba cautioned.

"Understood." Esebu applied his brakes and came to a stop. Behind him he sensed Haifu and Fumikiri doing the same thing, most likely out of confusion. "_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ shifted from his _shinkansen_ form to his humanoid battle form, landing on his feet and flicking on the lights on his chest. The beams penetrated through the inky soup that swirled around them. He looked around, his optics providing the only other source of illumination. He could vaguely make out other lights in the distance, and he wondered if this was what it was like after a volcanic eruption. Only without the thick ash landing on roofs and causing collapses.

"Esebu, what are you doing?" Haifu called from the tracks.

"What does it look like?!" he shot back. "I'm going out to try and find this thing on foot! It's too dangerous to travel the rails in darkness like this!"

Haifu was silent as she considered his words. Actually, it made sense as the trains didn't exactly have any means of diverting to other rails like Denver did. The quarantine system was still in testing in Japan and elsewhere; Denver had been the city to actually pioneer it.

The other two _Shinkalions_ knew what they had to do next.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

Within mere minutes, both Haifu and Fumikiri transformed into their humanoid forms and joined Esebu as he began to walk towards Hitachinaka.

The three made their way through the inky blackness, their lights and optics being the only sources of illumination.

As they walked, Esebu looked around, his optics barely able to penetrate the black smog. It also didn't help matters that the stuff was causing people to cough harshly. A few people were even starting to collapse, and he wondered briefly if his frame was immune to this thick smog. Now that he thought about it, what did it contain? He knew it contained coal dust, but it also seemed a lot different than typical smog.

The _Shinkalion_ stopped walking briefly and scanned his surroundings, his optics glowing softly.

'_Okay... Looks like things are the same,_' he thought. '_I still can't believe grandpa took on a Grimm like this one and won..._' His thoughts trailed off as he remembered his grandfather's condition in the aftermath of the attack.

His grandfather had been sick with lung cancer due to the conditions of the battlefield and how much of that coal smog he had inhaled. And the fact that the Dark Substance made it more damaging didn't help matters much. He recalled how his grandfather had died when he was five. That day had been hard on his father, Yuuma Daimonyama. And he couldn't blame him, to be honest. But that had been years ago, and now his father was three years dead. Esebu shook his helm and forced the memories back into his memory banks as he returned to the present.

"_Esebu, are you okay?_" Futaba asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Esebu replied as he looked around, his optics flickering as he scanned the composition of the smog. "It's just this reminds me of the First Wave my dad told me about."

Futaba went silent for a moment. "_Oh... I... I take it your dad was one of those involved?_" she asked.

"My old man wasn't, but _his_ dad was... He died when I was five. Dad took it real hard," Esebu said softly. He clenched his fists as he growled a bit. "And from the looks of things, this may be the same style of attack."

"_But why would the same attack happen fifteen years later?_" Futaba wondered.

Esebu wasn't sure himself. And frankly, this was only getting stranger and weirder.

He scanned around him, his optics glowing dimly in the haze. "Haifu, Fumikiri, you still there?" he asked.

"_Hai._ We are," came Haifu's voice from beside him. Esebu had to keep himself from jumping out of his armor at how close her voice was to him.

Fumikiri was silent, but a slight brush of fingers on his shoulder was enough to make him glance over and he spotted those light blue optics, along with the barely visible face of the ninja _Shinkalion_. He let out a small sigh of relief before he turned back to the situation at hand. "Stay close. Whatever Grimm is here, we have to be wary of."

He had no idea how right he was.

* * *

Dani frowned as she held a hand to her face to try and block the thick smog from entering her lungs.

When she arrived in Hitachinaka a few hours ago, the place was as dark as the abyss.

The very idea made her shudder against her will and she had to keep from coughing. This smog was just too thick...

She wondered if going intangible would help, and then she slapped her forehead with her free hand. "Duh! Of course I can!" she muttered. Within seconds, the ghost girl had turned intangible and now she could breathe. Or at least keep herself from inhaling this toxic soup called smog.

The hybrid flew through the city, phasing through buildings and observing as some people trapped outside began to collapse from the thick smog entering their lungs and causing lung troubles. Some people, she noticed morbidly, were already dead from the toxic fumes and she couldn't help but wonder what Grimm it was. Oh sure she had fought a few before, but nothing like this.

Hell, she didn't even know if it was even really a Grimm! For all she knew it could be a _yokai_ demon or something else of that nature! Lady Sanban had informed her of a few well-known _yokai_ that lurked in dark areas such as the Aokigahara Forest, which was one example. But here? In this town? Why would a _yokai_ be here?

Her green eyes drifted over the area before she spotted what appeared to be three large shapes in the distance. She narrowed her eyes before she flew closer, turning invisible as well as intangible. It was actually quite risky to combine such powers, but this time it paid off as she was able to phase closer to the shapes unseen.

Then a familiar voice came out of the smoke.

"Let's see if we can find any sign of this Grimm," the deep voice of Esebu stated.

"_Hai._" The second voice startled Dani, nearly causing her to turn visible and tangible. It was only due to her instincts that she didn't return to the visible spectrum. She remained where she was, surprised to see that the second speaker was facing the glowing green optics of Esebu. It was hard to make them out, but she could see that the second speaker was clearly built like Esebu, but with a different helm design. This made her question if there was more than one alien robot on Earth. The second robot was also male, it sounded like, but his voice was more cultured and slightly deeper than Esebu's. She wondered if he had been a scholar or from the upper classes of his society, if they even had such a thing.

The third shape, more feminine in build, turned to face Esebu. "Where do you want us to start the search?" a female voice, husky and sultry, asked. That threw Dani for a loop. She flitted in closer and now she could see that the third shape was a _female_ version of Esebu, but with a pair of what looked like wings on the back and some kind of extensions on her helm that resembled rabbit ears. Her optics appeared to be a yellow color, whereas the second speaker had light blue optics.

"I'm not too sure we should even split up," Esebu said. "Especially given how thick this smog is, Haifu."

'_Haifu?_' Dani cocked an eyebrow as the female, Haifu apparently, looked down.

"You do have a point, Esebu," she muttered. Then she faced him directly. "But then how are we supposed to find this Grimm?"

"We have to rely on each other," came the second speaker. "Especially now."

"Fumikiri's right," Esebu said to Haifu.

'_Okay. Looks like there's three of these aliens... Esebu, who seems to be the leader, Haifu, and then this Fumikiri guy,_' Dani thought as she flew closer to the trio.

Now she could see them a bit closer, and she was surprised at how alike they were in terms of their appearances, but also diverse. They all had _shinkansen_ alt modes, with the same configuration, but each one was a different type of _shinkansen_. She picked out Esebu right away because he was the most familiar. But the other two were new to her.

"Then I suspect you have a plan, Esebu?" Haifu asked sarcastically.

Esebu bowed his head before he looked up. "Yeah. We'll make our way to the coal plant. That seems to be where this started," he said.

The other two stared at him for a moment before Fumikiri seemed to grasp what his leader was saying. "You think the Grimm may be there, correct?" he asked.

Esebu nodded. "Yes."

Haifu looked down as she pondered this. Then she met his green gaze with her yellow gaze. "All right. We'll follow your lead."

The blue and white robot nodded before turning and walking off in the direction of the coal fired power plant.

Dani frowned as she flew after. She could only hope that nothing bad would happen to them...

* * *

_Above the facility, the dark smog grows denser, becoming more lively as it begins to shift and move._

_The smog inches down the smokestacks of the power plant, covering them like a skin. Within it, the smog can sense the workers trying to figure out what is blocking up the smokestacks._

_A low chuckle emits from the being as it starts to cover the entire power plant... engulfing it and literally _fusing_ with the building. The smog it's emitted over the town suffices as a cover._

_And it can see its targets. They are coming._

_The three _Shinkalions_ are on their way._

_A rumble comes from it as it finishes absorbing the power plant and turning it into its body. Then, it slowly starts to make it move._

* * *

Esebu stopped walking.

"Huh?" Haifu noticed this. "Is something wrong?"

The _Shinkalion_ was silent as he held up a hand.

Both Fumikiri and Haifu looked at one another in confusion before he lowered his hand and looked around, his audios tuned to their maximum sensitivity.

But it just wasn't what he had heard. He could've sworn he felt the ground shaking ever so slightly. He finally brushed it aside as nervousness and shook his head. "Sorry. I thought I heard something for a moment."

Haifu tilted her helm to the side a bit as the rabbit ear-like extensions on her helm twitched. Her optics flickered as she pivoted the 'ears' a bit. "Wait. I hear it too," she said. "Except it... it sounds like..."

The ground suddenly shook beneath their feet. It was subtle, but it was there. Esebu turned his head in the direction that Haifu's ears were pointed. He tensed his frame as he summoned his Wheelset Drill to his hand in a flash of blue light. He gripped it as he slowly inched his way down to the location of where the power plant was.

Only to halt as he sensed something was wrong.

He couldn't quite tell what it was, but... it was almost like... something was missing. Esebu began to get a bad feeling in his gut as he ran for it, his metal feet pounding the ground as he bolted for the top of the nearby hill.

His optics flashed in shock as he came to a halt in front of where the power plant was... or rather _had been_ located.

"Oh, Glob..." he whispered, staring in shock and disbelief. "This... is not good..."

The entire power plant was missing. And now Esebu had an idea as to what kind of Grimm they were dealing with.

A Coal Walker Kaiju Grimm.

* * *

**_KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE:_**

**NAME: Coal Walker**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Mega**

**BASIS: Unknown**

**ABILITIES: Able to fire off fireballs from the smokestacks on its shoulders and back. It can breathe noxious fumes of coal smog that can kill a person in a few hours. It has the ability to regenerate itself due to the DG Cells in its frame and body. It is by far the largest Kaiju Grimm to date ever encountered.**


	11. COAL

The airport was busy as he exited the terminal.

He had to admit, it had been years since he had been in Japan.

Actually, it had been _centuries_ since he had been here. But no one else had to know that.

Seph stretched his arms over his head before looking around for the cab that was to take him to his hotel. In actuality, he didn't even need to _be_ here, but it felt good to get out of America for a while and head abroad.

He made sure his baseball cap was perched on his head to hide his moss green hair and that his sunglasses were covering his silvery eyes. Best to be safe than sorry, he mused as he exited the airport after collecting what little luggage he had. He tended to travel rather light, only using what money he had on his person to purchase needed items and objects.

Plus he was intrigued about this new project Japan had developed.

Robots capable of turning into _shinkansen_... that reminded him of an incident that took place some time after his fusion with Seraphinite on a small island off the coast of what was to become Japan. This incident he recalled vaguely, but he did remember that one of the combatants had been able to turn into a train... or was it both that had been?

He shook his head and drove the dusty memories from his mind. He wasn't too keen on trying to recall it at the moment. He had other things to worry about.

Such as finding his hotel.

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: FIRST WAVE_**

_The First Wave is the name given to the first generation of Kaiju Grimm that surfaced fifteen years ago._

_After the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake, the first Kaiju Grimm to surface came ashore in Tokyo Bay near the Tokyo Bay bridge. It took Japanese Huntsman Sam-R-I less than an hour to slay it, but the next one came only two months later, and this one took longer because of what it was based off of: a bat. This Grimm forced an evacuation of the entire Tokyo Bay section of the city, causing many to lose homes and possessions. The Japanese Air Self Defense Force mobilized a single helicopter to take it down, which was done with little damage._

_For the next year, a pattern was established, with a new Kaiju Grimm surfacing every few months to wreak havoc on Japan's populace and infrastructure. These Kaiju were dubbed the First Wave, and their legacy was one that determined the foundation of Project SKL in the future._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Legacy. Many people can see that word in many ways. But what _is_ a legacy?" The figure watched the audience before bringing up several images on the monitor.

"A legacy can mean many things. Take for example these three ships." One image displayed three separate aircraft carriers, one from World War II, one from the Cold War, and one undergoing construction. "These ships all bear the same name, so that in itself is a legacy. A name can be either historical and be carried on, or it can fade into obscurity."

A second image showed a team of soldiers as they stood in front of their machines. "A legacy could also be a record that someone has done something incredible, like these soldiers here. They have stood against the odds and overcome obstacles in their paths that most others would not have. This is the symbol of a legacy as well."

The images faded as the figure tented their fingers. "So, what kind of a legacy will you leave behind? One of good, or one of bad? Well, it's up to you to decide."

* * *

**CHAPTER X - COAL**

Esebu was horrified.

He had heard of such a Grimm. Mostly they were just minor, but if one could meld with an entire _power plant_...

That was asking for trouble.

His optics pulsed as he hefted his drill, scanning around for anything out of the ordinary.

A loud rumble caught his attention and he looked around, backing up in fright. "Oh, shit...!" he muttered.

Esebu suddenly heard a loud scream from Haifu and he whipped his helm around, only to stare in utter horror as a large figure loomed behind them. A massive metallic hand - way bigger than any one of them - reached out of the thick smog as it began to fade slightly. And it was reaching for him! Esebu broke into a run before he switched to rolling on his treads. He increased the speed to full, but even going at full it wasn't enough to avoid the hand entirely. It slammed into the ground as it barely missed his back and the shockwave sent him flying, his drill vanishing from his grasp. The _Shinkalion_ screamed as he flew through the air, only to crash into the pavement of the roadway further off. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his helm.

"Glob... That hurt..." he groaned.

"Esebu!"

His helm snapped up and he looked around for the source of the voice, only to stare in shock at the ghostly shape of Dani as she phased out of a nearby building.

"Are you okay?!" she asked.

"W-What are you doing here?!" Esebu blurted.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to help as well!" Dani remarked as she folded her arms. She flickered briefly, turning tangible before returning to her intangible state. "I can't just sit back and let you deal with this alone! I'm going to be a Huntress, after all!"

"You gotta get out of here," Esebu said, panic filling his voice. "You don't know what you're up against!"

Dani was about to speak when suddenly a loud explosion rocked the area, and Esebu looked up, his optics flashing in his shock. "NO!" he roared, summoning his Wheelset Drill to his hand. He thrust it forward as a large flaming ball of coal came his way, his Aura covering his frame and drill in seconds. The tip of his drill drove itself into the flaming ball and broke through it in seconds, scattering burning coal everywhere. He landed as he turned to face her, her eyes wide as she stared at the shape coming through the smog.

"Uh... is... what _is_ that thing?!" she squeaked as he turned to face the incoming shape as well.

Esebu's gaze traveled up the large shape... up, and up and up.

He felt like an insect against this massive Grimm. And it was _massive_. It towered over the tallest building in this town - he guessed it to be around half the height of Tokyo Tower - and it had dark grey armor on its massive frame. Its arms looked to be made up of the main segments of the power plant, and its legs were the generator sections, while on its back was the massive smokestack that was the distinguishing feature of the facility. Its head, however, was strictly a Grimm head, but it bore a small resemblance to Esebu's helm, mostly with the commander fin.

The _Shinkalion_ started to shake in his armor. His engine leapt into his throat and he gulped audibly as he gripped his drill in his hands. "O-Okay... This thing is not gonna be easy to bring down," he said, trying to sound calmer than he actually felt. Hell, he was actually close to fainting, honestly! But he forced himself to remain focused and calm as best he could.

Dani blinked as she looked at him. "And how do you plan to bring down _that_ monstrosity?!" she blurted.

In truth, Esebu had no idea. The Coal Walker was just too big... and it was melded with a friggin' _power plant!_ That was an issue in of itself, as if the building was destroyed, there would be no power to the town and surrounding areas. So how to take it down without damaging the plant was another issue.

'_Glob... This is not good... if that thing goes down there will be chaos here... and we're already on a time limit as it is!_' he thought in a panic. '_How are we supposed to bring that thing down?!_'

His mind raced as he tried to figure out a way, but his pondering was interrupted by the Coal Walker suddenly leaning forward and the smokestack on its back belched out a second fireball, right for him and Dani!

Dani was on the move, and her hands placed themselves on his shoulder guard. She closed her eyes and focused, channeling her energy into the _Shinkalion_ beside her.

What followed was what could only be described as the weirdest sensation ever. To Esebu, it felt like his frame was disintegrating, but maintaining a visible appearance. He looked down at one of his hands in shock as his entire frame shifted from the tangible spectrum to an intangible state. He had no time to examine any further though as his sensors registered the incoming projectile and he glanced up, a scream escaping his vocalizer. He braced for the inevitable impact.

Except it never came.

Instead, he only felt a tingling sensation running through his frame, similar to what he experienced when entering and exiting a capture field, but on a much deeper level. Like this thing was passing through _him_ instead of the other way around.

Confused, Esebu slowly looked up and he swore had he been human, his eyes would've widened in pure shock.

The fireball had exploded on the ground behind him and Dani, leaving a large crater and burning debris everywhere, with some damage to buildings and cars. A few bodies lay not too far off, and he shivered at how still they were. He tore his gaze from the burnt bodies and looked up to the Coal Walker as it drew that smokestack back and bellowed as it threw its head back. Esebu felt the tingling fading from his frame and he returned to tangible state as Dani floated off his shoulder guard. She looked a bit worn out, but she was still flying, which was good. At least until she wobled and he cupped his hands around her as she collapsed out of the air.

"Glob... that was tiring..." she muttered. "I didn't think that it would've wiped me out so much..."

"Well, you did just turn a twenty six and a half meter tall mecha intangible," Esebu joked.

The ghost girl rolled her green eyes as she recovered her strength somewhat and lifted out of his cupped hands.

"_ESEBU!_"

The _Shinkalion_ turned at the familiar voices of his companions as they came running over, worry visible in their optics.

Esebu straightened up and rolled his shoulders as Haifu and Fumikiri approached. "You okay?" Haifu asked. "When we saw that thing fire..."

"Thank Dani here," he said, gesturing to the girl. "She saved my life."

The two _Shinkalions_ looked at her in apparent surprise, but said nothing as she floated up and bowed. "Pleasure to meet you," she said, speaking in Japanese to the two.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Fumikiri said as he bowed politely. "I must thank you for saving Esebu. We were worried he had not survived that last attack."

"It was nothing," Dani replied, trying to act modest. In truth though she was a bit surprised that these aliens were even thanking her. But she brushed it aside. "After all, he did save me."

Haifu looked to Esebu who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

A loud bellow caught their attention and all four glanced at the huge Grimm as it loomed over them, a massive foot raised high above them. "Aw, shit!" Esebu swore. "MOVE!"

The three _Shinkalions_ burst into a run as Dani flew after them. The Coal Walker thrust its foot down towards the ground beneath it, intent on stomping these bugs out of existence.

* * *

**TOKYO STATION HOTEL**

* * *

Seph sighed as he sprawled out on the bed, his arms splayed behind him. "Glob... It's so good to have a quiet room for once..."

A flash on his chest caught his attention and he looked down at the single gem right over where his heart was. He touched a hand to it and sighed. "Yeah, I know. But you know what I mean."

He removed his hand from the gem and ran it through his moss green hair. "Still wish I had a place of my own sometimes, to be honest. Then people wouldn't question my habit of supposedly talking to myself."

A flash came from the gem and he growled. "Oh, shut up! Can't I dream a little?!"

The gem flashed a few seconds and he swore he heard laughter from it before he brushed it aside and sat up. His hand groped for the TV remote and he pulled it closer before flipping on the TV.

Only to be greeted with a strange sight on the screen. His eyes widened as he sat up in shock. "The Glob is that?!" he blurted.

The image on the screen showed a satellite image of a black splotch covering an entire town not too far from Tokyo. But what really surprised him was what he was hearing.

"..._unsure of what the outcome of the situation will be. Even now people are trying frantically to contact loved ones within the dark smog covering Hitachinaka. No one is sure of what the situation within is, so there is much speculation about what has happened or is happening within. The Japanese Self -Defense Forces have started to prepare an ex[pedition into the dark smog to try and get an idea of what is... Wait. I just got an update from someone on the ground in the area. It appears that the smog is starting to dissipate._"

The news anchor came up on the screen in the lower right hand corner of the video feed.

"_We can now see a little bit of what is happening inside the field. And so far it... Is... What the hell is that thing?!_" she blurted, the image zooming in on what appeared to be a hulking shape...

And Seph's silver eyes flashed. "Shit... Haven't seen one of those since the Industrial Revolution!" he grunted. He shut off the TV and tossed the remote onto the couch. He got off the bed and strode to the door.

His gem flashed and he looked down at it. "I know. Geez. You're worse than me ma was..." he muttered as he opened the door. He left the room as he threw his hat on over his hair.

It didn't take him long to exit the station. He cast his gaze around before he focused on his power. He could feel the slight tugging sensation of his wings forming and he spread them wide open: one large wing, and two smaller wings on the opposite side. Seph crouched and with a single flap, he was airborne. He pivoted in midair before he sped off in the direction of Hitachinaka.

* * *

**HITACHINAKA SUBURBS**

* * *

Akita was just glad to get his mother out of harm's way.

But now he was stuck outside as the hospital staff had closed the door before he could even get in.

He kept his Aura up around his body to keep himself from breathing in that toxic smog, but it was only a matter of time before it went down and he wasn't too keen on dying like the other people outside the hospital.

He could only watch in horror as the large Grimm - the Coal Walker - thrust its massive foot down towards the ground. He didn't know what it was trying to stomp on, but whomever or whatever it was would not be able to survive that.

He glanced down at his guns, unsure of what to do. He was a skilled sniper, but even so, that thing was _way_ out of his league! Only the strongest Huntsmen had been able to slay those things! And so far none of them were here... least of all the real heavy hitters like Major Glory, Dracon, or that supposed man with the angel wings.

In truth, Akita wished Dracon was there. Not just because of the fact that he secretly looked up to the Gundam, but because his firepower was damn useful in many situations.

'_Ah. But has he taken down a walking power plant?_' a little voice asked in his thoughts.

Akita brushed it aside and glanced up at the huge facility. "What am I gonna do...?" he thought.

"LOOK OUT!"

A sudden shudder caught his attention and Akita looked up as he sensed the incoming shockwave. The boy dove to the ground as the shockwave rushed over him and anyone else outside the safety of their homes and whatnot. He gritted his teeth as his hands lashed out to grab onto a nearby streetlight, only to nearly be torn free from his lifeline. He felt the wind sucked out of his lungs and his head began to feel light. Akita struggled to hold onto that lightpost with all his might, but it didn't work and he was torn loose from his hold.

A scream was torn free from his throat as he was sent flying. Then a blur of black and white sped down and he was caught by two female hands as he coughed, trying to get fresh air into his lungs. A green energy sphere started to form around him and his savior, and then he was able to breathe. Akita coughed violently a few times before he gulped in fresh, clean air. He was finally able to regain some sense of where he was and what had happened as he looked up to his savior.

His eyes widened as he stared into the green eyes of the ghost girl. Dani Phantom.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Y-Yes... Thank you," Akita said as he pounded his chest a few times. "I was sure I was a goner."

"Well, just be glad we were in the area," Dani admitted as she set him down on the ground. Akita's Aura faded from around his body as he looked at her in confusion.

"We?"

"She means us," an unfamiliar voice said.

Akita jolted as he looked around for the speaker. His eyes narrowed as his hands flew for his guns, which somehow still remained on his person (he was sure they had been torn free from their holsters!) despite the intense shockwave.

His gaze roved around before something glinted up above him. Akita glanced up... and his heart stopped at the sight of three massive metallic figures. The first one was primarily blue and white with golden accents to its frame, and it had green optics with a silver command fin on its forehead. One hand held a drill of some kind and the other was resting on its hip. Closer inspection revealed that this machine could turn into a _shinkansen_, which made Akita stare. He had heard of three aliens, but to actually _meet_ them?!

The other two also could turn into _shinkansen_, with the purple and white one resembling a ninja in a way, and the white and green femme had rabbit-like ears on her helm. That was enough to make Akita slowly back up, his hand flying for one of his guns. He was trying to remain calm, but it was a lot easier said than done.

"W-Who _are_ you?" Akita asked.

"The name's Esebu," the first one said in a deep male voice. "And these are my friends, Haifu and Fumikiri." He then knelt and gazed into his eyes. "What are you even doing out here? It's too dangerous!"

"Try telling that to the hospital staff. As soon as I got my mother to safety, I was locked out due to someone panicking," Akita remarked.

"Hm." Esebu hummed thoughtfully for a moment before a sudden roar made all of them glance back.

"Dammit...! We gotta move!" Esebu said as he held out a hand. "Get on!"

Akita was stunned, but a shove from Dani prompted him to move. He staggered over to Esebu's hand and he collapsed onto it in disbelief.

The mecha stood up as Dani lightly leapt into his hand as well.

And just in time, too. The Coal Walker was once more upon them all.

And this time, Akita felt real fear for the first time in his life.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

Director Hayasugi was downright worried.

Especially as the Coal Walker was coming closer to them.

His hands were gripping the edges of his seat so hard he swore he was going to dent the metal underneath his fingertips.

His heart was racing a million miles a minute as he eyed the main monitor.

"Can we fire the capture field yet?!" he demanded.

"No, sir," Futaba replied. "There's too much coal dust and Dark Particles in the air. The nanomachines won't be able to form a cohesive field." Her eyes flicked over the readouts. "We could try to fire it and then draw the Coal Walker into it, but that's still untested..."

"Can it be done?" Hokuto asked. "We need to get that thing out of the town before any more lives are lost!"

"I-Yes, but only in theory," Futaba pointed out.

"Then do it!" the director snapped.

"But we don't know if-" Honjo was cut off by the cat Faunus.

"JUST DO IT!" he roared.

The group wasn't too stunned by his exclamation, but more or less on his insistence that an untested property of the capture field be used. In truth, some of them couldn't blame him. A few of the technicians in the main office also had family down there, and they were just as worried as he was.

The man next to Futaba looked to her. "Do it," he said. "It'll save more lives in the long run."

Futaba bit her lower lip as she pondered her decision. What in Glob's name was she supposed to do...?

Right now she was torn. On one hand, they had no other choice, but then again, on the other hand, there was no telling what could happen. She needed an answer, but all she could do was make the choice herself.

So she swallowed nervously. "O-Okay..." she whispered. Her hands shook as they danced over the keyboard before her, programming in the next command for the capture satellite. Her eyes were wide and sweat soaked her flesh and uniform. She licked her lips as she struggled to keep focused.

Every instinct was screaming at her to not do this, but she brushed it aside and focused on the mission. She forced herself to focus on the death toll climbing, and she gritted her teeth as she ducked her head forward, tears pricking at her eyes. She stopped typing for a moment, but then resumed as she looked up, a look of fierce determination on her face, despite the tear streaks on her cheeks.

"Firing capture field..." She paused before drawing back her hand and thrusting it forward onto the fire button. "..._NOW!_"

* * *

**EARTH ORBIT**

* * *

The capture satellite beeped as its computers received the commands from SDI HQ.

Its maneuvering thrusters fired, adjusting its angle ever so slightly, pivoting the satellite dish below to aim directly at the smoggy town beneath it. The capture beam began to charge, focusing into the tip of the dish's antennae array before it formed a small orb. The orb flashed, and then a multicolored laser lanced down, streaking through the atmosphere towards the smog-encased down.

And all everyone at SDI HQ could do was pray this worked.

* * *

**HITACHINAKA BATTLE SITE**

* * *

Esebu's sensors blared in his head as they detected the incoming energy beam.

He glanced up, his optics pulsing in his shock and disbelief. "They're crazy!" he blurted. "They shouldn't even be firing it in these conditions!"

"Huh? Who's firing what in these conditions?" Dani asked, but Esebu ignored her and turned to the others.

"We have to get out of here! In case something goes wrong, I don't want us to be caught in the crossfire!" he shouted.

Haifu and Fumikiri nodded in agreement. The trio of _Shinkalions_ turned and ran for it as fast as they could, their metal feet pounding the pavement as they ran. Esebu was now panicked as he cupped his hands around a surprised Akita. He had not expected the SDI to fire the satellite at this Grimm in these conditions! From what he knew, the nanomachines needed a clear space to be able to cohesively form the capture field; anything like this and it could fail, or even worse, becomg contaiminated with the Dark Substance if it was used in the air.

Such things weren't uncommon; a few prior Kaiju Grimm had used the stuff as smokescreens and forced the capture field to be aborted before it could be fired from the satellite. So unless it had some kind of upgrade or property he didn't know about, there was the risk of actually making the Grimm it was meant to contain _stronger_ by giving it a shield.

Dani was confused as she joined up with the trio. "What's going on? Aren't your superiors firing off a capture field?" she asked, remembering the first time they had teamed up.

"Yes, but it's downright crazy given the circumstances!" Esebu shot back. He glanced at her out of the corner of his optic. "The Dark Substance in the air could contaminate the field and actually make a Grimm _stronger_ if it hits!"

Now the ghost girl was stunned. "Th-That's...That's nuts!" she blurted.

"That's exactly what I said when I first found out!" he remarked.

"Esebu! The field's starting to form!" Haifu cried.

The lead _Shinkalion_ turned as the laser struck the air above the Coal Walker. Esebu watched in terror and downright horror as the field began to form. He wasn't sure if it was going to form properly, let alone at all. And his worry was well founded.

All he could do was hope and pray to Glob that it formed as intended.

* * *

**HITACHINAKA AIRSPACE**

* * *

Seph's eyes hardened as he saw the formation of the field in the tainted coal smog. He had seen this several times before with the field formation, so he knew that this containment field was being used to try and contain the Grimm.

But the Dark Substance was starting to corrode the field's nanomachine bonds. As well as taint the nanomachines themselves.

He took in a breath and hesitated as he hovered above Hitachinaka.

Some part of him - the Gem part - was telling him to run, that it was not his business. But he ruthlessly squashed that part of himself and he shot a glance down at his chest as his gem flashed.

"Yeah. I know. It's stupid of me, and I've never even tried this before. But what other choice do I have?" he muttered.

Again a flash from his gem and he winced. "Okay! I'll be careful! Geez!"

The hybrid held out a hand and started to focus his powers.

With not a moment to spare, he dove down towards the smog, a shimmering, silvery green barrier seething around his body and into the palm of his hand. His best bet was to try and alter the nanomachines to make them immune to the Dark Substance, and therefore allow for a more effective containment of the Grimm. And maybe, at the same time, try to separate it from that coal power plant. He had done that once before, and it had nearly killed him for his trouble. But it had worked, and people still said that he had "purified" the power plant, even two centuries later.

He brushed that aside though as he kept focusing. His palm began to glow with the same energy as in his barrier, and he folded his wings close to his back.

The field started to form...

And his hand made contact.

A bright flash emitted from the spot, and then everything went white.

* * *

Akita was caught off guard by the sudden flash of light.

He covered his eyes with one hand as he felt Esebu's hand curl around him; he could barely see things through those thick metal fingers. In fact, they were what saved his eyesight.

The boy watched as the light faded from beyond his metallic cocoon and he peered through a gap in those fingers.

His eyes widened in shock as he stared at a massive barrier unlike anything else forming around them.

"Holy... Glob...!" he whispered.

The entire group was now standing atop a massive platform, which was connected to the walls of the barrier with pylons that pulsed with a strange energy. All around them were rail tracks, each going higher or lower than another. In the middle of the platform suspended in the air were screens showing the outside and there was an opening within the barrier itself right over the screens. The top was covered with some kind of metal plating, and the entire thing hummed with a strange, unknown energy. His hair was standing on end from the sheer amount of it; it was like the air had been electrified.

Esebu's hand uncurled from around him and he felt the mecha's gaze on his back. He turned to look into those green optics.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yes," Akita stammered. "Thank you."

The mech nodded as he knelt and placed Akita down on the ground.

"Where are we?" the boy asked.

"We're within a capture field," Esebu explained. "And frankly, I'm surprised the thing even formed..."

Akita was about to ask why, but that was disrupted when the familiar bellow of the Coal Walker echoed throughout the field.

The group looked around, only to find themselves staring at a large figure. But it wasn't as large as it had been.

No. It stood much, _much_ shorter than it had been in its merged form. The Coal Walker's true form was exposed for them to see: a massive, hunched humanoid with bone-like smokestacks that jutted out from its shoulders and back. It was bulky and had ape-like arms that dragged across the ground. Its eyes pulsed red as it aimed those bonestacks at them and fired, sending a barrage of flaming fireballs in their direction. Esebu scooped up Akita in his massive metal hands before running while Haifu sprang away gracefully and Fumikiri backflipped onto one of the rails. Dani meanwhile vanished into thin air and reappeared further away, her eyes wide. "Geez!" she blurted.

"Well, didn't think that trick would work, especially given how badly it turned out last time," came a male voice from not too far off.

Esebu's helm snapped to the left and his optics flashed a bit in shock as he felt his engine stop humming within his chest briefly.

The man hovering there folded his arms as his silvery eyes gleamed as they locked onto the Coal Walker.

Esebu had only heard of him. But to see him right there?

The Boy with the Angel's Heart or the Man with the Angel's Wings, he wasn't sure which, was one individual who could possibly match the Dragon of Denver in sheer power. And to see him here was enough to make Esebu speechless.

At least until those silver eyes locked onto his green optics.

"So, you gonna do something about this thing, or what?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Esebu held out his hand and set Akita down on the platform. "Stay out of our way, kid," he said, trying to play up ignorance.

"My name is Akita Oga, and from the looks of things, you may be needing my help," Akita responded.

"How can you be of help?" the green-haired man asked.

"I'm a skilled sniper," Akita responded as he gestured to his guns.

"No offense, kid, but your pea shooters won't do much good against a Coal Walker," the man snorted. "Unless you intend to pick out its weaknesses, which, I might add, is incredibly dangerous."

"Better than just sitting by and doing nothing!" Akita shouted.

"Enough!" Dani cut in. "We can fight later! We got a Grimm to take down!"

Haifu and Fumikiri nodded in agreement.

The man huffed, but nodded. "Fine." He then turned to Esebu. "You're the leader. Your call."

Esebu was for once unsure. He had never acted as a leader before, but this time, he had no choice. He glanced around, watching as the Coal Walker lumbered along the rails. He shot a glance to the man hovering there, his wings arched a bit as they flapped every so often to keep him aloft. Then he looked to Dani who was fidgeting nervously. Haifu and Fumikiri were next as he pondered what to do.

The only issue was that the man with the wings was an unknown. He had no idea as to what he could do.

So he asked.

The man, who introduced himself as Seph, rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should've done more research on the SkyWeb," he snarked.

Esebu shot a quick look at the Coal Walker before its smokestacks aimed at them again.

"MOVE!" he bellowed.

The team bolted as more fireballs were launched their way. Seph twirled and dodged, but every so often he would aim a hand and fire off a silvery blast of energy, and Esebu began to get an idea of how to fight this thing. His optics landed on the Coal Walker as one of the blasts barely missed its chest. Something glimmered there, and he perked up. He zoomed in on it, and he was surprised to find himself staring at a pulsing reddish orb. '_That's it!_' he thought.

He skidded to a stop and turned to face the others. "I think I have an idea!" he exclaimed. "That Coal Walker has some kind of an orb on its chest. I think that might be its power core or what holds it together!"

Seph smirked as he hovered down. "Good eye," he said. "All Coal Walkers have that core to hold themselves together when not fused to a power plant that burns coal."

Akita's eyes widened. "I think I see where this story is headed!" he remarked. "You want to hit its core, and therefore cause it to vanish!"

Esebu nodded. "Yep. Akita, was it?"

The boy nodded.

"All right. You will let us know when to fire on that thing. Seph and Dani can do that. Meanwhile, me and my two compatriots will distract it and lure it into position for a combined attack," Esebu explained. "Hopefully that should be enough to bring it down."

Akita smirked. "Got it."

Dani grinned widely as she summoned two ghost rays to her hands. Seph simply shrugged.

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ set Akita down near one of the rails and the boy broke into a run up the ramp. Seph and Dani took up positions further up the rails and hovered as they waited for Akita's signal.

Esebu turned to his friends. "You ready?"

"_Hai!_" both Fumikiri and Haifu said as one.

Esebu summoned his Wheelset Drill to his hand and brandished it. "Let's go!"

The fight began.

Fumikiri sprang into action, summoning his shuriken to his hands and he threw them towards the Coal Walker. The blades bounced off its thick hide, but that did serve as a distraction for Haifu to come up from below and swing her sword into its chest. It cried out as the blade barely missed that orb. Esebu used the chance to sneak up behind it and drove his drill into one of those smokestacks, shattering it as he drove it into a gap. The Coal Walker screeched in agony, and then the three were on the move, relying on the rails to stay ahead of it. Esebu smirked in his thoughts as he saw the Coal Walker lumbering after Fumikiri, who was using his ninjutsu to stay on the move and one step ahead.

The Coal Walker aimed that last remaining smokestack at the ninja _Shinkalion_, but its fireball missed as he leapt up and latched onto the side of the capture field's barrier. Fumikiri held out a hand and within seconds a thick smokescreen was covering its field of vision. Haifu took the chance to attack that last smokestack, shattering it with a well-placed swipe of her sword. Esebu dove down from higher up where he had landed earlier and his drill bit into its thick hide, this time drawing smoke to the surface of the wound. He pulled it out as he landed back, and he spotted the two aerial fighters hovering close by. The Coal Walker turned to try and swing its massive fist towards Esebu, and he saw their chance.

"NOW!" he roared.

Akita watched for a few moments... and then he gave the signal.

"FIRE!" he screamed.

Dani and Seph both aimed their hands, glowing silver and green respectively, and let out cries as they both fired off twin beams of energy. The silver and green beams merged into one, becoming a seething silver laser with green electricity coursing over it. The Coal Walker turned and its eyes widened as the core was exposed.

The beams struck home.

An explosion rocked the battlefield, and Esebu was thrown off the track he was on by its sheer force. He flipped around as the capture field began to waver from the concussive force of the blast wave alone. He hoped it wouldn't go down.

"_Esebu! Can you hear me?_" Futaba asked.

"_Yes, I can,_" Esebu responded. "_Why?_"

"_The capture field... it actually formed?_" she asked.

"_Yeah. I'm not sure how, but... I'm just glad it did,_" the _Shinkalion_ said. "_Anyway, we defeated the Coal Walker, so the town below should be returning to normal, right?_"

"_Yes. The smog has begun to vanish, and radar scans along with satellite imagery has shown that the power plant has returned to its original state and location,_" Futaba replied.

"_Good. Let's just hope we don't have another one like it..._" Esebu responded.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE UPDATE:**_

**NAME: Coal Walker**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Mega  
**

**BASIS: Unknown**

**ABILITIES (UPDATED): Able to fire off fireballs from the smokestacks on its shoulders and back. It can breathe noxious fumes of coal smog that can kill a person in a few hours. It has the ability to regenerate due to the DG Cells in its frame and body. It can fuse with any coal fired power plant, but it can be unfused through the use of capture field technology. It's core is its weak point; if that gets hit, it loses all cohesion and becomes nothing but smog, the Dark Substance vanishing back to its pool.**


	12. MINE

Deep within the Darklands, Sammael smirked as he watched the Grimm vanish in a cloud of smoke.

Beside him, I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. flared his optics as they flashed red.

"I see the Coal Walker failed," Sammael mused. "Such a shame..."

"Yes. But now comes the unexpected..." the huge Gundam rumbled. He folded his arms across his broad chest as he watched.

"_That was no ordinary Coal Walker, was it?_" the voice of Moloch hissed out of the shadows.

"You'd be right, Moloch," Sammael said casually. "This one was a brainstorm by I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. But I have to admit. What kind of ability did you give it?"

"It's not an ability, per say," the Fallen Gundam remarked. "Instead..." He held up a hand and those metal scales seethed over his fingers into a smaller version of the Coal Walker. "These... these here are the key. As long as they exist, new versions shall be formed. And... let's just say that those who encounter them are in for an _explosive_ surprise..."

Moloch's eyes flashed within the darkness. "_Very cunning... and perhaps a trait to be admired,_" the Beast of Darkness purred. "_I'm actually impressed by you. Sammael was wise to choose you to join our ranks then._"

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. rumbled as he dismissed the scales and looked into the orb showing the fight. "Yes... Yes, he did..."

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: E6 KOMACHI_**

_The fourth unit to be activated, the E6 Komachi is built to be a long range support unit. It's the most mobile of the units, surpassed by only the E3's agility. While not as strong as the others, the E6 makes up for it with incredible mobility. The unit stands in humanoid form at twenty-five meters in height and in both battle and default forms weighs ninety-five tons._

_The E6 has on the sides of its feet two sets of wheels, much like the E7 has treads on either side of its ankles. These give the E6 its incredible mobility on the battlefield, making this unit a very effective adversary against long range fighters. The E6 is equipped with two guns known as the Railway Crossing Guns. These can be upgraded into the Railway Crossing Cannon, a mode in which both guns rest on the E6's shoulder guards._

_The driver of this unit is Akita Oga._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to gathering things, humans have mastered many techniques and tricks." The figure in the seat adjusted themselves before gesturing to the monitor showing several soldiers working together to complete a mission, their machines keeping back enemy machines as several other soldiers led civilians to safety. "Such as gathering allies or friends. That happens in times of war, and sometimes even in peace."

The figure then snapped their fingers and the image changed to show a farmer harvesting crops. "Or gathering food from a good harvest." An image of several fishermen came up next. "Or even gathering fish for the people to consume. It all depends on what it is you wish to gather."

Then the image changed to showcase several children held in cages while others were being experimented on. "In one case, children were gathered to create super soldiers to combat the genetically enhanced. Such things were deemed illegal within the universe where this took place, and those behind it were locked up or stripped of all their rights and left to fend for themselves in the streets." The image then faded from the monitor as the figure leaned back in the seat. "So, what is it you wish to gather? Friends? Family? Model kits? Money? It's your choice."

* * *

**CHAPTER XI - MINE**

The beams struck home.

An explosion rocked the battlefield, and Esebu was thrown off the track he was on by its sheer force. He flipped around as the capture field began to waver from the concussive force of the blast wave alone. He hoped it wouldn't go down.

"_Esebu! Can you hear me?_" Futaba asked.

"_Yes, I can,_" Esebu responded. "_Why?_"

"_The capture field... it actually formed?_" she asked.

"_Yeah. I'm not sure how, but... I'm just glad it did,_" the _Shinkalion_ said. "_Anyway, we defeated the Coal Walker, so the town below should be returning to normal, right?_"

"_Yes. The smog has begun to vanish, and radar scans along with satellite imagery has shown that the power plant has returned to its original state and location,_" Futaba replied.

"_Good. Let's just hope we don't have another one like it..._" Esebu responded.

Futaba was about to speak again when a loud screeching came from the smoke.

The group of six was surprised at this, all of them turning to face the thick smoke cloud. Several smaller shapes suddenly burst out of the smoke, leaving trails behind them as they landed atop the rails encircling the platform. Esebu was stunned to see that these new entities were not Grimm, but small robots that stood about half the height of a _Shinkalion_ frame. Their faces were more skull-like and they had no eyeballs or any organs, really. They looked more like living skeletons. But their bodies were made up of some kind of... scales? Esebu's optics dimmed a shade. "Okay... this is new," he mused as he hefted his drill.

"What the hell are those?!" Dani asked as she powered up a ghost ray.

"No clue. I've never seen them before," Seph remarked. His wings arched themselves as he hovered closer to the three _Shinkalions_. "And I've seen _a lot_ in my lifetime."

Esebu cocked his helm a bit at the emphasis on those two words, but he brushed it aside as he sensed one of the skeletons coming their way. It lumbered and lurched, moaning as it reached out its metallic bony hands. Haifu was the closest one, and she yelped as she backed away, only for the thing to collapse on its chest.

But what happened next sent shudders down their spines and spinal struts.

The skeleton _exploded_.

The group was forced to dodge the shrapnel as it peppered the platform, only to vanish into smoke seconds later.

Akita's eyes were wide as he looked down from Dani's grasp. "I... I did _not_ see where this was headed!" he muttered in horror.

Esebu looked at the smoldering spot on the platform, horror filling his optics. "Good God...!" he whispered. "This... This..." He gulped audibly as he glanced at the other robotic zombie skeletons coming towards them.

"Okay... I think I know what to call these!" he muttered as he stood up. "Skeleton Mines."

"An appropriate name," Seph mused as he flexed his wings, "given what they can do and all." He was very tempted to let loose with his explosive energy feathers, but he opted not to because of the danger that the human would be in if he was hit by them or grabbed by a Skeleton Mine before it exploded. And something about those scales... just seemed... off... to him.

He frowned, but brushed it aside as being unknown to him. There was still stuff he was learning every day, and that was saying something given how long he had lived so far.

Esebu finally seemed to come back to his senses as he looked to Fumikiri. "Fumikiri, I need you to get Akita out of here and back to Tokyo!" he ordered.

"_What!? Why?!_" both blurted.

"Look. As much as you want to stay and help, Akita, it's just too dangerous," Esebu said as he looked to the boy. "I don't want you to get hurt, so it's best you go back home. But if you still wish to help, go to the Marunouchi Building. Go there and get reinforcements."

Akita was confused by the order, but nodded. "I'll see what I can do," he said.

Fumikiri turned to Esebu. "Please... be careful," he said.

"We will," the lead _Shinkalion_ said with a nod.

The purple and white _Shinkalion_ shifted into his _shinkansen_ form and opened the door for Akita. The boy darted aboard and within minutes they were moving, exiting the capture field in a flash of light.

Esebu could only hope that Akita did as he suggested.

Right now they had their own mission to focus on. Esebu hefted his drill and looked at the incoming mines. "Any ideas?" Dani asked as she drifted down.

"Try and stay on the move," Esebu said. "They seem to need to get close in order to damage us. So we'll have to rely on movement to give us a fighting edge."

"But if they get in close and explode, we can't exactly fight them," Haifu pointed out.

Seph rolled his shoulders before his silver eyes flashed. "Me and Dani can take 'em from long range," he explained.

Esebu nodded, a plan forming in his processor. "Right. You two will do what you can to take them out. Haifu and I will keep on the move and prevent them from getting close to us." He turned to look at the rails around them. "But we have to also make sure we don't damage the field. If it gets damaged too much, it will lose its cohesion and shut down the optical camouflage to keep itself going." He never felt so glad for remembering that bit of information.

"Hm. I can see why the need then," Seph mused. "We'll do our best. But we can't guarantee that we won't damage the capture field, as you call it."

Esebu dimmed his optics as he tried to come up with a solution. But as it stood, what they really needed was a gunner. And he could only hope that Fumikiri was going to reach Tokyo in time.

One of the Skeleton Mines roared as it staggered towards him and he leapt back before it fell into range. It caught itself and resumed lumbering around. He landed atop a rail and looked to the others. "Let's just stay on the move for now!" he ordered. "Better than getting hit by those things!"

The group nodded and started to move.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

Hokuto narrowed his eyes as he observed the fight.

"Skeleton Mines..." he muttered.

He pressed one of the buttons on his desk and a recording of the mine exploding was paused. He hummed to himself as he studied the scaly metal as it flew through the air.

"What in the name of Monty Oum is this?" he asked himself.

"Sir?" Futaba looked over. "Something the matter?"

"Just trying to figure out what the hell these things are made of," the director said as he looked in her direction. "These Skeleton Mines have some kind of scaly metal that makes up their bodies. I don't know what it does, or what it even _is_, but something tells me it's far more dangerous than it seems."

Futaba frowned as she made her way up to his desk and peered at the image. Her eyes widened a bit. "Okay...? What is that?"

"That..." Here Director Hayasugi pointed to the material. "...is what they are made up of."

Here Futaba narrowed her eyes as she studied it. "Hmm... It does seem metallic in nature... But... hold on!" She leaned in, surprising the director as her fingers flew over the keyboard. She selected the frame of the scale flying through the air and zoomed in on it, adjusting the range and focus of the camera to hone in on what seemed to be little needles on the edges. "I don't think it's just a scale..." she muttered. "Because no scale would have _these_ on its edges! Least of all ones that were laced with the Dark Substance!"

Hokuto's eyes went wide as he looked at the enhanced image. Sure enough, he could see that they were made up of the Dark Substance, and he gaped. "What has he created...?" he whispered.

Futaba looked to her boss in confusion, but the cat Faunus was already looking down, worry flooding his features. "Great Glob..."

However, Honjo's exclamation caught their attention and both looked up. "Holy shit! That was close!"

Futaba ran down to join him. "What's happening?"

"That last Skeleton Mine almost infected Esebu!" he said as he turned to look at her. "Thankfully those scales or whatever they are vanished before they could even touch him."

Hokuto hummed to himself at hearing that. "So it appears that whatever they're made of tends to vanish after an explosion if it doesn't reach a host or target in time..."

That made it all the more apparent for the close range Shinkalions to avoid them.

Deep down though, he wasn't sure they could even win this one...

He had no idea help was just half an hour away.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

**DARKLANDS**

* * *

Sammael smirked.

"I have to admit. This is rather turning out to be interesting, especially given the fact that those Skeletons are infused with your essence," he said to the large Gundam.

The Devil Gundam couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his chest as he folded his arms. "Yes. After all, given my Semblance, it makes sense to use the bodies of the deceased..." A low chuckle came from him. "Especially since I was the one who killed them before my transformation."

Sammael recalled the battle that he had seen some time ago with I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. in his cyborg form in Japan, and he licked his lips. "Yes. Their fear was succulent," he remarked. Then his face became serious. "But there is also the matter of those Elementals."

"Hmm?" I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. tilted his helm. "What about them?"

"I have plans to try and talk to them. But... it wouldn't hurt to have an added advantage." He turned to the Gundam. "Perhaps, if you are not detained by your... experiments... you could assist me, yes?"

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. hummed as he looked down. He wasn't too keen on parting from his experiments to try and create a more powerful Grimm, but then again, Sammael had offered him a chance to take down Minovsky. As well as those brats that did this to him. And truth be told, he _was_ a little curious about the Elementals...

He looked up, and his optics flashed red. "I will do what I can," he said. "But..." He raised a hand and summoned forth a sword of those scales. "I wish to use my Semblance to show them how dangerous we Fallen are."

Sammael pursed his lips at this. He knew of his fellow Fallen's Semblance, and it was perhaps the most dangerous Semblance he had seen. Able to infect organics and turn them into Pseudo-Fallen, Infection was able to give him a veritable army at his beck and call. And that was what made him such a threat. Sammael was no fool. But so far, the Devil Gundam had only used it to gather intelligence and build up his forces for an all-out assault on his former colleague. So perhaps his drive was what kept him from possibly turning on Sammael.

He finally nodded. "As you wish. I can provide some targets to infect, of course." A small smile played across his lips. "And maybe the Elementals can be a test subject..."

_Now_ I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. was interested. "Oh? Well... then this could be fruitful for both of us..." His optics flared red at the thought and he chuckled. "One scientist to another, I think this could work out indeed."

* * *

**TOKYO**

**MARUNOUCHI BUILDING**

* * *

Akita couldn't believe it.

He was finally going to get some help for those aliens, but why was he ordered to come here? The place was undergoing renovations, wasn't it?

Unless there was one aspect to the story he wasn't seeing.

Or more like multiple, he mused as he ran past one of the startled security guards as he called after. "Hey! Kid, it's dangerous!"

Akita looked back and swore to himself as he vaulted over some piping and ran for the closest location to hide, which turned out to be a maintenance stairwell.

He bolted for it as the security guard gave chase. "Hey! I said stop!" he called. "Get back here!"

"Sorry, pal, but no can do!" Akita muttered as he threw open the door and ran down the stairs, his shoes pounding the metal staircase. He could hear the security guard above barking into his walkie-talkie and the boy swore under his breath.

He needed to find a place to hide.

Akita darted down a nearby hallway that was partially undergoing renovation, ducking past cables and wires that hung down. Behind him he could hear the security guard following, and he cast his gaze around for any place to hide. A glint caught his eye and he bolted for it, spotting a door that looked like it was cracked open partially. He grasped the door and threw it open before running inside the unknown room and closing the door behind him. He stood behind the door, panting as he heard the security guards running past his hiding spot, his ears straining to pick out their voices.

"..sure he came down this way!" the guard muttered. He stopped and Akita held his breath. The guard began to walk, his footsteps coming closer with each second. Akita's heart leapt into his throat and he gulped softly. Sweat began to form on his face and he had to bite his lower lip in order to prevent a whimper from escaping him.

Static crackled in the air and Akita braced for what he assumed was the guard with a taser. But instead a voice that sounded distant resonated.

"_Just forget the kid, Damian. Kids come and go from here all the time, given how we're not really moving along on progress due to that last Grimm attack,_" the voice, clearly female, said. "_If he's not doing anything wrong, then leave him be._"

"Fine... Just wish kids wouldn't come down here..." he muttered as he turned and walked off, his voice fading along with his footsteps.

Akita stood stock still for a few more moments, straining his ears and senses to their limit to try and see if the guard really _had_ left. The seconds ticked by into minutes, and after several minutes had passed, he let out a sigh of relief and slumped back against the door, sliding to the floor in obvious relief. Now that he was safe, Akita opened his eyes and looked around his hiding spot.

His eyes widened in shock as he found himself staring at several pods, each one clearly designed after the front end of a _shinkansen_. Three of them were dark grey, with no sign of power. And three of them were clearly active. The first of the three was a blue and white one with golden lines on it, and its cover reminded Akita of the cockpit for the E7. The second pod was purple and white with reddish-orange accents on it, and its cover was modeled after the E3. The last of the trio possessed a green upper half and white lower half separated by a violet stripe. The cover for this one reminded him of the H5 he had seen once before on vacation to Hokkaido with his grandfather. The pods were lit up with power, and Akita swore he saw someone in one of them.

Curiosity overcame him and the boy crept closer. He leaned in, cupping a hand to see through the darkened glass.

A yelp escaped him as he recognized the occupant inside.

"Shinobu?!" he blurted. The sight of one of his friends resting in this pod, with some kind of helmet on his head, was enough to make him worry. What was going on? What were these pods? And what was happening to his friends?! Akita backed up, unaware of the pod behind him. His foot bumped against it and he tripped, falling in and landing on the seat. He groaned as he sat up, only to stare as a helmet colored in red and white with black accents fell over his head. He grasped it and pulled it off, examining it.

The helmet was an interesting design, with what appeared to be two red protrusions on the top, and its visor was red with green optics on it. A wire snaked back to the pod's top and he glanced back at it. "Hmm..." He hummed to himself before he put the helmet on his head and adjusted it, now curious as to what it did.

He leaned back in his seat and the pod's cover began to hiss closed.

Akita braced for whatever was going to happen.

He did not expect things to suddenly go dark.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

"The E6 has just come online!" Futaba declared.

"What?" Hokuto spun around in his seat to face her. "It has?!"

"Yes, sir," she confirmed. She turned to look out the observation deck windows. Hokuto stood up and watched as the new unit came online. The lights within were brought online and he turned to look at Futaba.

"Who activated it?" he asked.

"Akita Oga," the technician read off.

Director Hayasugi eyed the red and white shape as it began to shift and try to move. He wondered what was going through Akita's mind as he experimented with his new body.

And actually, he was concerned for the others as well. Just how they were faring wasn't far from his mind right now. But he had a new warrior to introduce.

He turned to Futaba. "Keep in touch with the team," he said. "I have a new _Shinkalion_ warrior to debrief."

Futaba nodded as she turned back to the monitor showcasing the situation within the field.

* * *

**HITACHINAKA BATTLEFIELD**

* * *

Esebu glanced back as he growled to himself at the sight of the Skeleton Mines making their way down one of the rails. Haifu was using her agility to stay ahead of those following her, and Seph and Dani were doing their best to pick them off with their long range attacks, but it was easier said than done given how they had to be careful to not hit the capture field _and_ their allies.

"Dammit! We could really use some long range support right now!" he muttered. "And I mean _real_ long range support!"

He hated to admit it, but he wasn't even sure that Akita had followed his suggestion or advice. The boy tended to do things on his own sometimes, and he was hoping to Glob that wasn't the case.

The _Shinkalion_ flipped over another Skeleton Mine in his wake and he landed on the other side before he crouched and sprang off the rail to a lower level. He turned and watched as two Skeleton Mines grasped onto the edges of the rail he just left, and the Grimm began to swarm over its edge, forming a sort of makeshift ladder.

"Man, I hate that!" he muttered. The only good thing was that it took time for the Grimm to climb up their fellows as they were slow, so that gave the team time to catch their breath before a new session of 'Cat and Mouse' began.

"_Esebu, how are things looking?_" Futaba asked in his head.

Esebu directed his attention to it for a few minutes; the Skeleton Mines would take that long to reach his level anyway. "_We're doing okay, but it's a lot harder than it seems to remain on the move_," he relayed. "_The only good news is that when climbing or slouching up the ramps, it takes time so that gives us a bit of a breather. But we are going to run out of power._"

"_Just keep them busy a bit longer. Help should be there soon,_" Futaba said.

"Hey! Esebu! How much longer?!" Dani blurted as she fired off another ghost ray at a Skeleton Mine creeping up on Haifu, exploding it a good distance away from her. The green and white rabbit-eared _Shinkalion_ turned and gave a nod to the hybrid girl as she flew off to assist Seph in trying to corral a larger cluster on the platform below.

"_Tell Dani that help will be there within a half hour,_" Futaba advised. Esebu nodded and the comm went dormant.

"Dani, my superiors just told me that help will be here within a half hour," he said.

"Okay! Because these things just keep coming!"

Esebu knew what she meant. The Skeleton Mines, they had discovered, had a tendency to spawn more of themselves if enough time passed. And that was why they needed a long range fighter: to keep such a thing from happening to begin with. As it stood, there were already over one hundred of these things roaming about, and although the field was large, it was only a matter of time before there were too many to avoid.

The lead _Shinkalion_ growled as he watched two new Skeleton Mines emerge from two of their compatriots and he hefted his drill.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

**DARKLANDS**

* * *

Sammael hummed as he watched the Skeleton Mines prowling.

"I must admit, your little plan has ambition. But so far they have not allowed them to get close," he purred.

"I am fully aware of that," the Devil Gundam rumbled. "But this is nothing. It is merely a test to demonstrate my skills... as well as my Semblance." His optics flared red as he held up a hand and brushed it on the screen before him.

One of the Skeleton Mines seemed to shudder as another grew from it. "My Semblance has given these minor Grimm some very special abilities. One of which is the ability to regenerate. In this case, it serves as a cloning ability, so there can be more made to make it hard for them to avoid," I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. explained. "And as an added bonus, they have been given some semblence of intellect. Not enough for sentience, but enough to give them the ability ti come up with solutions to problems."

Sammael nodded, taking in the Devil Gundam's explanation. "A keen mind sees all opportunities to try and perfect their skills, honing them to a razor's edge. Much like the Dragon of Denver continues to do as well."

The Fallen/Gundam growled lowly in his chest at the mention of Dracon, but he brushed it aside. "Yes. It does," he rumbled.

Sammael smiled. "As I have said before, your talents will take you far, my friend. And I genuinely mean it."

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. was startled enough to look at the Fallen. "..."

"I must admit it is hard to find someone who could even impress me as much as you. You are perhaps the first whom I can genuinely say I admire and respect as an equal, not a superior or inferior. I may be older, stronger, and wiser, but your ruthlessness and single minded drive is what I admire. Even I cannot match it. And your frame's unique abilities offers numerous advantages that I know not a thing about," Sammael admitted. "Plus, I will be honest and say I was getting a bit bored with using the same Grimm. Your brilliant mind has crafted new Grimm for me to use, and I respect that. That Kaiju with the coal power plant was downright brilliant, if I must say." He smiled towards the Gundam. "And, I hope we can work well together for a long while."

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. looked into his eyes, green meeting red. Sammael was being serious, he realized. And actually, having someone to respect his work was... good... It was thrilling to be seen as an equal instead of a quack and ridiculed by the scientific community.

And he couldn't ask for anything better. He held out a massive metal hand. "I am thankful you have seen me as someone who is an equal. I... I am honored to be among your ranks."

Sammael smiled widely. He clasped the Gundam's hand.

And so an unlikely, if not dangerous, friendship had been forged.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**_SHINKANSEN_ HANGAR**

* * *

Akita stared in shock at his hands as he flexed them, trying to comprehend just what the hell had happened.

To even think that this was the result of putting on that helmet was just inconceivable. '_I honestly did not see where this was headed...!_' he thought as he looked down at his legs, taking in the locomotive shell on his thighs. He slowly touched it before his other hand went to his chest, rubbing it in disbelief.

He brought his hands up to face level and examined them, turning them over to look at the palms before flipping them over to look at them from the back. Akita could feel the new systems in his arms moving his hands and he stopped flexing them a bit before he looked around, using his new vision to scan for anything that could give him a clue as to where he was.

All he could see were two other _shinkansen,_ with one of them undergoing maintenance. On the rear wall of the hangar was some kind of logo that looked like the front of a _shinkansen _with a targeting emblem behind it and a wing coming off the front of the train. On it were the words _Shinkansen Defense Institute_ and opposite the logo, right in front of him, were several tunnels, three of which were closed.

'_Hmm... it seems I'm in some kind of hangar or launch bay._' Akita thought to himself.

He looked around a bit more, and a soft hum came from his throat.

"_Unit E6, can you hear me?_"

The voice startled Akita and he yelped, slipping on something on the sides of his feet and landing on his metal butt with a grunt. He looked up, trying to find the source of the voice. His new optics glowed a bit as he strained his new audio receptors.

"Who are you? And where am I?" he asked, a bit surprised at how deep his voice now was. It sounded a bit like Mayor Sebben's, but just a slight octave higher.

The voice didn't answer for a few seconds and Akita wondered if it was because he had offended the speaker in some way. But he had no idea how wrong he was.

"_Akita Oga._"

Akita's helm snapped up to look at the ceiling speaker in shock. "Wait... That voice..." he whispered. "Mr. Hayasugi?!"

"_Yes. It's me, Akita,_" he said.

"What is going on here? Where am I? And what has happened to me?" Akita asked as he staggered to his feet, flexing his hands.

"_To make a long story short, you are now part of a top secret project that was designed and developed to combat the Kaiju Grimm that have been whittling down our number of trained Huntsmen every time they attack,_" the cat Faunus explained. "_You and your friends have been selected to be a part of this._"

"..."Akita was silent as he pondered this. He had not expected this at all. Oh sure he could understand why the project was developed, but to hear his friends and he were a part of it? He slowly spoke again, trying to get an idea of what was going on. "What exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Hayasugi?" he asked.

"_I mean what I said, Akita. You and your friends have all been chosen to be a part of this project._" Mr. Hayasugi's voice paused before he began to speak again. "_Or rather, it wasn't my choice..._"

Akita let out a questioning hum at this.

"_What happened was you kids showed yourselves to be potential candidates due to sheer luck,_" Mr. Hayasugi explained. "_And therefore you became the candidates needed for this project to come to fruition. I was against it initially, but after seeing you in action, well... even though I don't like it, you kids are the only ones who can make my hopes a reality._"

Now he understood where this was heading. "Wait... I think I see where this is going," Akita mused. "You didn't want to use us because of our age and the fact that we are just kids with no real training. But given how we are suited for this... project... you have no choice."

"_You'd be right, Akita,_" Mr. Hayasugi said. "_The project is, in case you are wondering, called Project SHINKALION, which is the name of the frame you now inhabit. It stands for SHINKAnsen LIberates Our Nation. SHINKALION. After all, why can't the _shinkansen_ be used to liberate our nation from despair like it liberated us from poverty after WWII?_"

Akita hummed as he looked down at his hands. "I see..." Then something came to his mind. "Are the others in combat right now?" he asked.

"_Yes. And they could use your help..._"

* * *

**HITACHINAKA BATTLEFIELD**

* * *

Esebu swore as he leapt to the side, landing atop one of the rails as the Skeleton Mine exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. He was just lucky he escaped the worst of it.

Behind him he could hear Haifu squeal as she almost got nailed by Seph's blast and Dani's ghost rays.

The bad news: there were more Skeleton Mines than they had expected now.

There were close to five hundred as they prowled along the rails. And a cluster of fifty stood in the middle of the platform.

They were running out of time and room.

"Any ideas as to what we can do?" Dani asked as she floated close to Esebu.

The _Shinkalion_ growled as he looked around the battlefield. His optics glowed as he scanned the Grimm as they roamed the rails. "Shit... No sign of any weaknesses," he muttered.

Seph muttered under his breath as he flew over, his wings spread. "To be honest, I've never seen these kinds of Grimm before in my life, and that's saying something given how long I've lived," he admitted.

"So you have no idea as to their weakness?" Esebu asked as he pressed his back to the two hovering organics.

The green-haired man shook his head. "No."

"I got nothing, either, aside from that long range attacks are our best bet," Dani admitted with a shake of her head. "That, and they can't seem to sense things that are intangible..."

Esebu perked up. "Wait... Did you say intangible?"

The ghost girl nodded. "Yeah. Why? I can't keep turning you and Haifu intangible forever!" she remarked as the green and white _Shinkalion_ joined them, her rabbit ear extensions flat against her helm.

"Esebu, any ideas?" she asked as she hefted her sword.

The lead _Shinkalion_ looked down, wracking his processor for any ideas. The only advantage they did have was Dani's intangibility, but it drained her whenever she used it on him or Haifu, as the attack with the Coal Walker had shown.

So how were they supposed to fight without getting hit by those scales or whatever they were when the Skeleton Mines exploded?

"_Esebu, just hang on! Help is almost there!_" Futaba exclaimed into his COMM. Esebu's helm snapped up at those words.

"How far out?" he asked.

"_Not much longer! He should be entering the capture field now,_" came the reply.

"He?" Esebu's question was cut off when he heard the familiar horn of a _shinkansen_. He turned to look in the direction it came from and was surprised to see a sleek red and white train entering the capture field.

"Is that...?" His voice trailed off in surprise.

It was.

The E6 _Komachi_.

The main body color was primarily "Hiun" (飛雲) white with a crimson roof and "arrow silver" bodyside stripe. On its side was the logo of the Japan Railways East Company, a half silver oval with red and black lines on the bottom half that curved slightly, the words "East Japan Railway Company" above those stripes.

The train sped right past one of the Skeleton Mines, causing it to explode. A jolt of fear shot through Esebu's chest as he saw this. "NO!" he cried.

However, he needn't have worried.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_" came a deep male voice.

For a moment, Esebu was floored. Was that Sebben's voice?! Then he paused, shaking his helm. No. It didn't sound at all like his. While the tone was similar, it was slightly higher than Sebben's.

Then the train transformed. Like with his transformation, the rear and front engines disconnected from the rest of the cars and linked up. The rear engine opened into a pair of legs while the front engine spread its rear end to become a pair of shoulders and arms. The head was the last thing to emerge, a pair of yellow optics flaring on as the new Shinkalion flipped and landed, grabbing a pair of guns that formed in the air above it.

The new _Shinkalion_ was mostly red and white with silver accents on his body. His legs were mostly white with the red locomotive shell of the rear engine acting as additional armor to his calves. In stark contrast, his arms were clad in red armor with the white armor of the shell for the front engine acting as protection on his forearms and upper arms. His shoulder guards were white on the bottom with a silver stripe separating the crimson upper half. His chest was, of course, the nose of his _shinkansen_ mode, with red and white and silver on it. His feet had two pairs of wheels on the sides, no doubt for increased mobility, Esebu mused. But it was his helm that sent a shiver down his spinal struts. It was red on the top with his white faceplate contrasting it. His optics were pure yellow, and on the top of his helm were two protrusions of some kind. A golden command fin similar to the antagonists' mecha in _Gundrazer_ came to his processor. But it was the set of optics above his yellow optics that made him seem like a demon. Or close to it, Esebu thought.

The guns he held in his hands were grey in color, but a pair of lights was mounted atop each one, the top being green, the bottom being red. The gun barrels had on their sides that yellow and black striping used in signal crossings for the railways, and they looked as if they could unfold into a more powerful mode of some kind.

"Who are you?!" Dani demanded, summoning a ghost ray.

The new _Shinkalion_ didn't answer. Instead he aimed one of his guns and fired... right at her! Dani yelped and turned intangible as the bullet sped right through her.

And struck a Skeleton Mine just meters behind her. She heard the explosion and looked up, turning tangible once again. "The hell?" she whispered.

"Keep your eyes peeled," he said. "And the name is Matagi."

"Are you our backup?" Esebu asked.

Matagi nodded. "Yes. And it looks like I arrived just in time..."

The five combatants tensed as the Skeleton Mines began to assemble around them.

Esebu hissed through his vents. "Okay... I think I'm getting a bit of an idea here, but I need to know. What can you do?" he asked.

Matagi looked back over his shoulder. "For one thing, I'm much more mobile than any of you," he explained. "And..." He hefted his guns. "...I'm a long range fighter."

That was all he needed to know.

"Yeah, I got an idea," Esebu said. "But you have to follow my orders exactly."

Matagi nodded as Haifu looked at them. Dani smiled and nodded while Seph rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever," he muttered.

"Okay. Matagi, since you claim to be the fastest of us, your job is to take out those Skeleton Mines on the platform below," Esebu instructed. "Once that's done, we'll join you. Dani, you'll use your intangibility to launch sneak attacks on the ones prowling the rails. Seph, back her up. Haifu, you and I will cover Matagi from the ground."

"Roger!" the rabbit-eared _Shinkalion_ replied.

Dani nodded as she turned intangible and vanished off to do her part. Matagi was silent as he flipped off the rail and landed in the middle of the cluster. Seph flapped his wings and flew above the ghost hybrid, his silver eyes flashing as he held up a hand and threw a telekinetic blast at the closest Skeleton Mines. The blast struck one and caused it to explode, allowing Dani enough time to sneak up on another one and overshadow it, which was downright creepy in Esebu's opinion as those lifeless empty eyes went green.

Matagi meanwhile went on the offense, using the wheels on the sides of his feet to weave and swerve around the enemy as they tried to come close and attack him. He fired his guns a few times, striking a couple Skeleton Mines and they exploded, the shrapnel causing more to explode. He whipped his frame around before he fired off a barrage of shots that peppered the ground close to one of the Grimm and caught it in the blast. The red and white _Shinkalion_ kept this up, and Esebu watched in amazement.

'_Wow... He's fast...!_' he thought in astonishment. It was like seeing a blur at work. It kind of reminded him of the Living Bullet, but at the same time was not the same. For one thing, Living Bullet used a Speed Dust powered suit. This guy just had incredible mobility.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Haifu cry out.

"ESEBU! WATCH OUT!"

The lead _Shinkalion_ jerked as he heard a loud screeching. He whirled around as he stared at a Skeleton Mine incoming towards him. He summoned his Wheelset Drill on instinct and thrust it forward, his Aura shimmering around his frame as he ducked under the explosive range. He shoved his drill into its chest and it exploded as he rolled to the right off the rail, a surprised cry escaping his vocalizer as he fell.

"NO!" Haifu screeched. She dove off the rail she was perched on, surprising Esebu.

"Haifu! What are you doing!?" he cried.

"Saving your ass, that's what!" Haifu shot back as she grabbed his hand. "After all, we're in this together! And if we're gonna die, then we die as a team! But I'm not planning on dying today! And neither should you!"

Esebu was surprised by this. "But we're not able to fly!" he protested.

The rabbit-eared _Shinkalion_ flared her optics. "Oh, really?" She flexed the wings on her back and, much to his surprise, the pinkish-orange particles he had seen before started to emit from them. He was startled as their fall started to slow and she grunted as she angled herself to the platform below.

Haifu wavered and maneuvered, unsure of herself in the air. But it didn't take them long to arrive as Matagi was finishing up those Grimm on the platform. Haifu touched down, feeling a sense of nausea in her non-existent stomach. She collapsed to her knees, panting as she made a gagging motion with her helm.

"Motion sickness..." Esebu muttered. He knelt down beside her. "Hey, just take it easy. We'll handle this."

Haifu looked up at him. "Y-You need me..." she rasped, but was cut off by her leader.

"No. I'm ordering you to rest," he insisted. "Me and Matagi can handle it from here. You just rest."

She nodded. "R-Right..."

Matagi looked back out of the corner of his optic. "So... you got a plan?"

Esebu nodded as he stood up. "Yeah. You take out the ones on the rails that Seph and Dani have not gotten to. I'll keep you safe on the ground," he explained.

Matagi nodded. "Right." He hefted his guns. "Time to show you my true strength."

He tossed the guns up into the air, and Esebu was shocked to see them unfold into a larger form... no... into a pair of _cannons_. The cannons fell and Matagi stood beneath them as they latched onto his shoulder guards. He adopted a fighting stance and spread his arms. "Now... time to pick them off!" he muttered.

The barrels began to glow as he started to channel his Aura into them, a swirling red, white, and silver light surrounding him. His optics flared as he braced himself, and he looked to Esebu. "I need some support!" he cried. "Now!"

Esebu gaped before he shook the shock from his processor and ran over, bracing himself behind Matagi's frame and revving his treads as he felt the recoil beginning to push him back. "Hope you know what you're doing!" he shouted.

The red and white _Shinkalion_ didn't answer. Instead he merely braced himself further. "Get ready to spin me around when I give the signal!"

"Right!" Esebu nodded as he gripped Matagi's back tighter.

"_Fumikiri Cannon!_" Matagi roared. The guns on his shoulders bellowed, sending a pair of reddish orange beams right for the Skeleton Mines roaming the rails above. They were starting to form into a line, and Esebu realized what Matagi was trying to do. He braced himself and spread his legs as he started to turn, grunting as he did so. The recoil was strong enough to push him in a circle as he revved his treads, one in reverse and one in forward. The effort paid off as Dani and Seph retreated from their attacks, allowing the two male _Shinkalions_ to finish off the Grimm as they tried to flee from the onslaught.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

**DARKLANDS**

* * *

"Well... it seems they had a new team member on board," a new voice mused.

"Yes. But that only confirms my suspicions of them," I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. rumbled as he looked down at the figure beside him. "And for that matter, why are you so interested in them?"

"I have my reasons, dearie," the voice said as the large Gundam hummed thoughtfully.

"Regardless, they will not escape the next time around," he muttered.

"Why not just see how they do, dearie? After all, think of all the data you could gather on them. So far they are only just starting out. And I know a few people are interested in how this project of Japan's plays out," the voice said.

The Gundam knew the speaker was right. But at the same time, something was telling him they were a threat. Still, in the end, his interests and his training as a scientist won out. "Very well. I shall hold off... for now."

"You won't be disappointed, dearie..." the speaker hummed.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE:**_

**NAME: Skeleton Mine**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Ultra**

**BASIS: Human skeleton**

**ABILITIES: This Grimm has the ability to spawn more of itself, but it has a time delay of fifteen seconds before a new one is spawned. The Grimm explode upon contact with a weapon or projectile. When they explode, they send shrapnel and scales of metal at their target, infecting them and turning them into Pseudo-Fallen. If the scales do not find a host, then they vanish after five seconds. These Grimm are not very fast, nor are they very smart. They do however have limited strategic skills that can include forming a makeshift ladder or bridge with their bodies.**


	13. DEBRIEF

The team was exhausted by the time they returned to the station.

As their frames shut down, their souls were transferred back into their human bodies.

Tsuranuki was the first one to wake up. His eyes fluttered open and he gasped, taking in a breath into his lungs.

He slowly raised his shaking hands and grasped the helmet, removing it from his head before he hit the LinkPod's open switch.

The cover of the pod hissed up and he sat up, rubbing his hand through his hair as the other pods hissed open as well.

He could see Shinobu and Miku looking a bit worse for the wear, and he guessed he was the same way. Tsuranuki rubbed his face with his hands before he looked over at the last pod, which was now adorned in the same color scheme that Matagi had

The cover hissed up and a familiar figure sat up, groaning as he rubbed his head with one hand and removed the helmet with the other.

"Wait..." Tsuranuki narrowed his eyes as he got out of the pod. "Is that...?"

The newcomer turned to all of them, and their mouths fell open.

"_Akita?!_"

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: SHINKANSEN DEFENSE INSTITUTE_**

_The Shinkansen Defense Institute is a top secret organization that was developed in the aftermath of the First Wave of Kaiju Grimm attacks as a means to fight them more effectively. The SDI is connected with the Ministry of Defense, which allows them to obtain the latest state of the art technology to create weapons to fight the Grimm on an even footing. The SDI has long since tried to develop a weapon that used the _shinkansen_ of Japan in its fights, but due to the limits of the technology at the time, it was deemed unfeasible. The only technology that was able to be perfected was the Grimm Containment Barrier, or capture field._

_Using a scientific mission into orbit as its cover, the SDI was able to launch their capture satellite into orbit so as to give them a fighting edge. The satellite is nearing its second decade of operation, but it is still going strong. However, in spite of this, they fell behind in several other aspects. When the Second Wave began, the SDI decided to try and develop more effective countermeasures, so they turned Tokyo Station into a command center for when the _shinkansen_ were transformed into combat weapons. The Defense Minister and the Minister of Transportation however rejected the proposal, calling it downright crazy and even suicidal at the time._

_However, that all changed with the arrival of the Third Wave. Unlike the First and Second Waves, these Kaiju Grimm were much larger, stronger, and more powerful. The SDI had to ramp up its efforts to defeat these Grimm before any lives or property were lost. But due to their increased size, the Third Wave Kaiju Grimm were almost impossible to defeat without superior numbers. The attacks got more brutal, and more deadly. No one was sure if there would even be any hope in this situation._

_Thankfully, a chance discovery on Iwo Jima proved to turn the tide, and give the SDI the technology needed to finally commence their project at long last._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to government agencies, many know what they can do and cannot do. But what if someone has ideas that a certain agency can do more than what it can? That right there is in line with conspiracy theories, although sometimes government intelligence agencies like the CIA may play up that myth to ensure secrecy," the figure said as they tented their fingers. Their glasses glinted in the light as the leaned back at their desk.

"Such as the Shinkansen Defense Institute, who were formed to combat the Grimm. But many see them as a top secret group that may even be trying to create Grimm." The figure showed the logo of the SDI before it faded to show the CIA's emblem. "Or the CIA, who some say are really evil bad guys. It all depends on one's perception of things. But deep down, there are real answers, and these agencies have real people, real financial limits, and real resource limits as well. Their agents have limits, too. They are not super spies. They are just like you and me. No fancy cars, no spy gadgets, no getting the girl at the end of a spy mission, and no archvillains trying to take over the world. Spies are just as human as you and me."

The emblem faded and the figure adjusted their glasses. "So when you expect a spy to come in and take down the villain, maybe question if they even exist in the first place."

* * *

**CHAPTER XII - DEBRIEF**

"Okay. Let me get this straight. I sent Akita back to the Marunouchi Building thinking he'd get help, only to find out that he hid in the pod room to avoid getting caught by a guard. Then he tripped into a pod and managed to Link with the E6, and that was him that saved us," Tsuranuki summarized.

Director Hokuto nodded. "That's it," he said.

The boy looked to Akita who sat on a nearby chair, his arms folded as he looked at the other three Drivers. His eyes were narrowed as they shifted in their seats. "So you mean to tell me this is what you were doing all these months?" Akita asked.

The kids looked down, shame flooding their features. "Yeah," Tsuranuki finally admitted. Then he looked up. "But in all honesty, this was something we uncovered on accident."

"And you got recruited," Akita summarized.

Miku ran a hand through her hair. "Yes. But to be fair, Japan _is_ in desperate straits," she said. "And they need a symbol of hope to rally around, what with the Emperor's Sword missing and all."

The purple-haired youth pursed his lips. And actually, he could see where this was headed, and _why_ Japan needed a symbol of hope. "So to be precise, the project, Project SKL, is meant to give Japan hope, as well as buy time for the seal to be strengthened, yes?"

Director Hayasugi nodded. "Yes. As well as to try and protect my son from any Satyra members, which is its third objective. Once he is bonded to his _Shinkalion_ frame, Satyra will not be able to recruit him," he added.

"Hold on! This whole time it was just a ruse to get-" Tsuranuki was cut off by the director before he could go into a rant.

"No. It was the least important objective compared to trying to deter and stand against the Kaiju-class Grimm!" the cat Faunus said. "But it is an unintended side effect that I _have added_ in as a third objective. Project SKL's primary - and critical - objectives are to stand against Kaiju and buy time for the seal to be strengthened. That is the main reason it was developed."

Tsuranuki was about to protest when he realized that Hokuto had a point. While the primary objectives came first, the unintended side effect of his son's protection was just a benefit. He finally sighed, looking down. "I... Sorry, sir," he murmured. "I just... I was just surprised..."

Hokuto ran his hand through his hair before placing a hand on Tsuranuki's shoulder. "I understand, Tsuranuki, and if I had been in your situation, I would've been surprised as well," he said. "But that is not the reason we are here having this meeting."

"Then what is it?" Shinobu inquired.

Hokuto stood and walked back to his desk before pulling up a screen. He turned it to face the foursome. "This."

The kids all gathered around and their eyes widened as they stared in shock at the sleek plane departing from Narita International Airport. On the side of the rudder was a familiar emblem, that of a carrot with a rifle behind it. The kids all knew who that emblem belonged to, as they had heard of him and his resort in America. Hell, Tsuranuki had stayed there with his mother once back when his dad was alive! The youth's brown eyes widened as his mouth fell open. "Is that... who I think it is?!" he rasped.

Miku's hands flew to her mouth in realization. Akita's eyes widened a bit and Shinobu pursed his lips, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes. That jet belongs to the very same," Hokuto said.

"But why tell us?" Shinobu asked. "We can't exactly protect him, can we?"

"No. I'm not telling you because I want you to protect him. He can handle himself," Hokuto explained. "Instead, what I want you to do is keep an eye on his companion."

The kids all looked confused as Hokuto brought up an image of a man clad in a white body suit. His armor was greyish-blue and silver with hints of black. His chest plate was silver with blueish-grey accents on it, and his gauntlets were silver with a greyish-blue underside. He wore white lower leg guards and had boots on that were modeled after a wolf's foot, complete with three black claws for each. His helmet was silver and modeled after a wolf's head while on the back of his waist was the holder for his beam sabers. On his shoulder guards was the Kanji for Light as well. He also wore a light blue and dark blue striped scarf around his neck. His hair was short and blonde, but what really threw them for a loop were his red eyes.

"Oh, shit...!" Tsuranuki muttered. The way the director was looking at the man with a hard gaze in his blue eyes indicated that this guy could potentially be trouble. "I take it this guy's bad news?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Director Hayasugi admitted. "But I'm not about to take any chances. If this guy is with the enemy, it's best to be on the safe side and be on high alert. If he's not, then you are to leave him be."

"So like a recon operation," Akita deduced.

"Yes." Hokuto nodded. "But do not stray too far from the station. Last I heard the owner was coming to meet with the Sanban family."

The kids nodded, saluting as one. "Yes, sir!"

"However, if a Grimm does show, come back here at once for deployment!" Director Hayasugi ordered.

"_Hai!_" they said in unison.

The director watched as the kids ran out of the room, disappearing down the hallway that would take them back to the staircase leading up to the main floor. He sat back in his seat and tented his fingers as he observed the two newcomers.

He knew one of them right off the bat: a grey-furred rabbit Mobian wearing a black business suit with a red tie. His feet were bare and his tail was exposed through his pants, but that was not very noticeable in actuality as most Mobians did wear some form of covering on their lower body. He wore a pair of white gloves on his hands, although usually for business meetings and other formal events; he took them off when prowling the grounds of his resort for Grimm, rogue Hunters, and Fallen. This Mobian was none other than Bugs Bunny, the owner of the _Duck's Burrow_ resort complex down in San Diego.

Behind him was his new companion.

Hokuto's eyes narrowed as he watched. He wasn't sure if this red-eyed man was a Fallen or not. But for all he knew, he could be, and Bugs was in danger. He hated having to send the kids out into danger, but in this case, it wasn't so much for combat as it was for observation. And the kids, he knew, were quick learners as to what the situation called for.

He just hoped to Glob that the newcomer with Bugs _wasn't_ a Fallen.

* * *

**NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT**

* * *

Bugs Bunny rolled his shoulders as he made his way back from the baggage claim with his shotgun and suitcase in hand. He would've asked his chauffer to do it, but the poor man was sick with a nasty bout of pneumonia back stateside, so he was having to do it himself. Not that he minded; actually he liked doing things like this sometimes. It was proof he wasn't some elite, despite having enough wealth to be considered among the richest individuals in the world.

The Mobian glanced over at Lobomon, his eyes flicking around the airport.

"Everything's so different... and yet the same as well," he mused.

"Yeah? What's it like back where you're from?" Bugs asked as he smirked.

"Definitely lacking in diversity," Lobomon stated as he watched a Faunus family meeting up with a pair of humans and a Mobian. "There's much more here than I expected."

Bugs gave a knowing grin. "Well, you're about to see a lot more," he said as he held out a hand. "I already called a cab, and we don't wanna be late now, do we?"

Lobomon was surprised, but took Bugs' hand as the Mobian guided him towards the main entrance of the airport.

The Warrior of Light had to admit that to see as many Faunus, Mobians, and humans in this world as he was only drove home how... normal... his world was. And normal was in a relative sense. The human species back in his world didn't know about the Digital World, and what few that did know tended to keep it quiet - those few being him and his friends. Plus the fact that animals didn't act in a humanlike manner only drove home that his world was a parallel version of this world.

He could only wonder how many worlds existed out there beyond the dimensional boundaries.

Hell, he wondered if the Celestial Angels knew of this!

His gaze spotted a nearby Faunus who looked like he was ready for a fight and off to the side stood a cloaked figure, looking at a map in their hand. The figure looked up, sensing that the Faunus was watching and they turned to face him, only Lobomon couldn't see what was going to happen next as Bugs pulled him down a nearby hallway into the main lobby where the entrance was.

The rabbit Mobian finally let go of his hand and the Digimon darted after.

"So, you ready for a tour of Tokyo in this world?" Bugs asked with a grin.

"I guess," Lobomon said. "But aren't you here for something more than just a tour for my sake?"

"Yeah, but we can take a tour of the city on the way to our destination," Bugs explained as he held out a hand and waved for a cab waiting just a few meters down.

The vehicle pulled up shortly after and the driver opened the door. The driver, much to Lobomon's surprise, was a mouse Mobian. He looked like he had seen a few incidents in his career, with the fact he had perched on the seat a nasty looking knife. His gaze locked onto Bugs and he spoke in Japanese, which Lobomon understood."Baguzubanī, watashi wa suisoku suru?"

"Hai." Bugs nodded, speaking the same language.

The Mobian nodded and opened the other door for Lobomon to enter. The Warrior of Light slid in as Bugs got in the front seat. He closed the door and buckled in as Bugs did the same thing.

Within minutes the cab was on its way towards their destination: the Sanban Estate.

The trip there was not that eventful, and to be honest, some of the buildings Lobomon didn't even recognize, primarily because of the fact that they were either undergoing renovations or had been completely remodeled to withstand a Kaiju-class Grimm attack. To the Digimon, the mere thought of such Grimm even existing was enough to make chills race down his spine. He shuddered a bit as he grimaced. He looked down at the map of the city Bugs had given him prior to leaving the airport and he skimmed it over. Sure a lot of things were the same, but there were also key differencs, such as the lack of the Tokyo Skytree.

Lobomon was very tempted to ask Bugs what the deal was with the lack of the Skytree, but he squashed the urge as he remembered this was a parallel world. So maybe the reason it didn't exist or get built was because of the Grimm. And actually, now that he thought about it, it did make sense, especially given those Nevermore Grimm he had read up on back in Bugs' penthouse. The map also pointed out something unusual, something he had not expected in his entire time living in Japan or Tokyo.

"Uh, Bugs?"

The rabbit looked back over the seat. "Yes?"

Lobomon outlined the area surrounding Tokyo Station on the map. "What's this... Central Intercept System?" he asked.

The driver looked up, and his eyes widened before he burst out laughing. "Oh, you mean that thing? Eh, everyone 'round here knows what _that_ is!" he remarked. "Unless ya be from the States, that is."

"Y-Yes. I'm... from America," Lobomon stuttered, trying to keep it from being too noticeable. "So, what exactly _is_ this system, anyway?"

"It's a system designed to contain any Kaiju Grimm that happen to be near the station," the cab driver remarked as he turned down a side street. "That place actually used to be a holdout for the Imperial Family back before the Time of Awakening, but it became a shelter after the Emperor erected the seal in Mount Fuji. See, back then there was a fear of someone finding a way to break the seal, so people were trying to find some ways to keep their lineage and heritage alive. That was where the bunker came in. It actually was just a bunch of holes in the ground that were linked together through underground tunnels."

Lobomon was surprised at this. "But if it were to be used as a shelter, then why...?" His voice trailed off as the driver rolled his eyes.

"Well, kid, the shelter was _not_ meant to be used indefinitely. The thing was in disuse after the Pool was sealed. But only for a short time. It was reinstated and used as a shelter for the Imperial Family and some commoners so some part of humanity could be saved. It was reinforced and stabilized thanks to better engineering and materials. Of course, despite this, it was still very primitive. Only by the time the Industrial Revolution came around did it really expand into what it would become today," the driver continued. "The invention of the steam train surprised everyone when it was used as a temporary stop, so the government planned a contingency for using the railways to get people to the bunker in case of an apocalypse. In fact, Tokyo Station was built right where the first station for the bunker once stood."

The cabbie turned down a busier street and merged into traffic on the freeway. "Of course, during the 1900s it wasn't very safe, despite being carved out and reinforced with steel gantries. The thing was, no one expected it to be used during the Second World War. It held up, but people did die down there, mostly with trying to keep the place intact and stable due to the bombings. The bunker was shuttered after the war, and became something of a storage space until 9/11 when terrorists from Satyra hijacked a few planes and slammed them into the WTC and Pentagon. The goverment reopened it and modified it heavily over the next few years after the First and Second Wave Kaiju Grimm were stopped."

"Of course the work took a while, but it did lead to a surprising innovation: turning an entire sector of Tokyo into a redoubt shelter for an apocalypse," the driver stated. "The whole space beneath that section of the city was hollowed out and a massive elevator system installed, complete with concrete and steel blast doors laced with gravity Dust so as to make them light, but strong. The blast doors are actually below ground level and the system has not just guns, but also a containment field so as to keep any Kaiju Grimm from delivering collateral damage to the city's infrastructure." He looked back at Lobomon with a grin. "Of course, that's just a summary. You really wanna know more, go to the library."

The Digimon nodded, shocked at what he had just learned.

The driver finally pulled up beside a large gate that was heavily reinforced. A pair of security cameras were locked on the vehicle as Bugs and Lobomon exited the cab. The mouse Mobian waved a bit before he pulled away from the gated entrance. Bugs walked up to the gate's wall where an intercom rested. He pressed the button and it beeped.

"Bugs Bunny, here to see Genki Sanban," the rabbit said.

"_Voice Identification confirmed. State number of persons in party,_" came a female, computerized voice.

"Me and one other," Bugs replied.

"_Number confirmed. Welcome to Sanban Manor. Please enjoy your stay._" The gate unlocked and with a loud groan, began to swing open to let the two inside.

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

Genki sat before her desk, sipping her tea as she pondered the latest series of events in her mind's eye.

The arrival of a new _Shinkalion_ had turned the tide in their favor, but the fact that those Grimm had even shown up...

That was worrisome. And to learn of what they were covered in was even more worrying.

Those kinds of scales were not organic, let alone natural.

She briefly pondered studying any remains if they were found, but then she brushed that aside. No Grimm left remains behind. What few were found usually vanished soon after being collected. It was the Grimm's final act of defiance and defense, to keep people from studying their biology and physiology to find a weakness.

And no one had figured out how to replicate the preservation process that had been used in Outpost Prima. It was truly beyond their skill and tech levels at the moment. To be honest, to study the technology used in those scales would be dangerous, if not outright disastrous given how they looked to be a perfect fusion of the Dark Substance, technology, and organic matter in one.

Genki opened her eyes and set down her tea as she tented her fingers in front of her mouth. "Just what are we dealing with?" she muttered.

Her musings were interrupted by a chirping from the speaker on her desk. She pressed the button with one finger. "What is it?" she asked.

"_Lady Sanban, your visitor has arrived,_" the voice of the security officer said. "_He also brought someone else with him. Should I let them_ in?"

Genki nodded. "Yes. Send them both in."

The Lady of Sanban Industries removed her finger from the button as she turned to the main monitor showing the exterior of the estate. She could see the image of her guest, Bugs Bunny. The rabbit Mobian also had a newcomer with her, and Genki frowned. He looked a lot like a newbie Huntsman. Given how some of them donned unusual costumes, it made sense that he would be trying to go for a unique theme. The only thing was, she couldn't even begin to guess what his theme was.

She knew of a few whose themes were different from what they expected, two of whom were Dracon and the Grimm Slayer.

The Grimm Slayer, she knew, was supposed to be a man wielding a holy Semblance and weapon, riding a white horse called Adam or something like that. But the reality was far different, as she had learned from Sebben and Sensei Splinter. She knew that he was actually a Digimon, an entity from another world that got desposited in their own world after Van Kleiss's experiments dragged him and a friend from their home against their wills. He was also one of the toughest foes anyone had faced, as the Grimmnoid Cult had found out the hard way.

Then there was Dracon.

He was a unique case, preferring to remain in the shadows, and yet his accomplishments were the stuff people liked to read about. So in truth, while people knew _of_ him, very few knew what he looked like, or what his abilities truly were. That cloak of his made it hard to see his true form, and that was just the way he wanted it. Even she had no idea as to what he looked like. But she had a theory that he had to be some form of dragon Faunus, or even wearing a suit of draconic armor to disguise himself if his cloak got torn off. She also knew he had a full arsenal with him at all times, something that many Huntsmen did not have. As for his skill with his ranged arsenal, Genki had a feeling he had a sort of telekinetic Semblance that let him use those funnels of his. But that didn't explain the rumors of him being able to see the deceased.

So in truth, he was an enigma.

And yet she had a feeling that someday she'd be seeing him up close and in person.

She just had no idea as to when.

A knock drew her from her thoughts and she looked up as the door opened and a maid entered. "Ma'am, your guests have arrived," she said with a bow.

Genki nodded. "Thank you, Kyoko. That will be all."

The maid nodded and drifted out of the room as her guests entered.

Bugs smirked as he pulled out a carrot and nibbled on it. "Eh... What's up, Sanban-san?"

"Bugs Bunny." Genki lowered her hands to rest on her desk as she gestured. "Please. Take a seat."

The rabbit Mobian shouldered his shotgun before he sat down. He propped the gun against the chair before the desk, and his companion sat down on the couch closest to the door.

"So, what brings you to my home?" Genki asked.

"I didn't get your email regarding the invitation I sent," Bugs remarked as he continued to eat his carrot. "I figured something had to be up, so I came personally since you didn't respond to my last few emails."

"Ah. Well, about that. We have had some recent incursions with Kaiju Grimm outside of the usual two month attack pattern, so we have had to step up our efforts in containing and stopping them," Genki explained. "It has really taken much of my time and with having to run Sanban Industries, as well as train my children, I haven't had too much time to respond to emails as of late."

"Oooh. Yep. Kinda figured as much," Bugs drawled as he tossed the carrot stub into a trashcan. He folded his arms across his chest. "Those Grimm are a real menace."

"Yes." Genki's eyes hardened into jade as she looked him in the eye. "So you can see why I have been unable to respond."

Bugs nodded subtly.

"But seeing as how you came all this way, then I shall give you my answer," Genki said as she leaned back in her seat. "We shall hold our next business gathering at your resort, provided that the security will be increased given how some of my clients are of the wealthier sides."

"Sanban-san, our security is some of the best," Bugs remarked with a smirk. "And nothing, not even a Fallen, has been able to really breach it."

"Never say never," Genki cautioned.

"Goods words to live by."

The two looked to the rabbit's companion as he locked his red eyes onto them. "From what I've experienced so far as a Hunter, Fallen are notable to adapt. So, you can never really tell what they will do," he said. "One minute they may be unable to breach your security, next they may be able to. Best to be on high alert at all times, even with the best security measures money can buy."

"Yes," Genki noted. "But there are those that have never _been_ breached."

The man narrowed his eyes as he scowled. "So they say."

Bugs finally cleared his throat. "So, back on topic. Mind me asking if you picked out the day?"

The Demon Blade of the East nodded as she opened a desk drawer and pulled out a calendar. She flipped it to the next month and pointed. "This is the day."

The _Duck's Burrow_ owner looked at it and he frowned. "Hmm... That's kinda be a bit of a squeeze," he said. "The head of the Vist Foundation and Sebben are having a meeting there with the heads of Fullbright Corporation and DexLabs. But if the meeting goes smoothly, we should be able to get you in."

The white-clad man blinked, but said nothing.

"I understand, but surely you can host two at once," Genki pressed.

"True, but given the situation, it'll be kind of hard to squeeze you in, given how long your meetings go for sometimes," the rabbit pointed out.

Genki pursed her lips and closed her eyes, realizing the situation. She finally put the calendar away. "Well, it seems that I will have to wait until a better opportunity shows itself."

Bugs nodded. "Sorry, Lady Sanban."

The Lady of Sanban Industries nodded. "May I ask who your companion is?" she asked, startling both of them.

"Uh... Oh! This is just someone who I rescued," Bugs explained. "He's... not from around here, actually. He's from another town back in the States, but it was recently attacked by Grimm, so..." He shrugged.

* * *

For Lobomon, this was unexpected. Bugs was actually trying to cover for him?! He made a mental note to thank the rabbit once they were headed back to the states.

"I see. And his name?"

"You can call me the Blazing Light," he said, having come up with a cover name on the trip over with help from Bugs. "I'm just starting out as a Huntsman, so I hope to make an impact where I go."

"Blazing Light. An unusual, but very catchy name," Genki mused with a smile. "I think you will go far, providing you learn how to fight the Grimm effectively."

"Oh, believe me, I have been training for that," Lobomon said as he pointed to his beam sabers. "Bugs has been making sure of that!"

The Mobian winked at him and Lobomon returned it before Genki finally leaned back in her seat. "And I assume, rightly, that you are taking him on a tour of Tokyo?"

Bugs nodded. "Yep." He lifted one of his hands and examined his glove. "As well as take him on a sightseeing trip to Hokkaido."

Lobomon was a bit confused. Why bring him to Hokkaido? He was about to ask, but then Genki began to speak, making him sit back down, crossing his arms in confusion as he bowed his head.

"That is a good idea. But it would be best to also be extra alert given the recent Kaiju Grimm attacks," she said.

The rabbit nodded, his eyes hardening into onyx shards. "I know, Sanban-san..." he stated.

* * *

**TOKYO - SURFACE LEVEL**

* * *

"..._but that's the least of my worries._"

The kids bolted down the sidewalks, trying to avoid any pedestrians as they made their way to a nearby intersection.

"_And why is that, Bugs Bunny?_"

The foursome looked left and right before crossing, unaware of the eyes watching them from above.

"_Just call it a hunch. A big hunch, Sanban-san._"

The black snake hissed as its red eyes flashed... watching the kids as they headed off in the direction of the Sanban Estate...

And the next site of attack.

The snake slithered down from the tree it was huddled in and made its way towards the Marunouchi Building.

Now was the time to find out just where those kids disappeared to during attacks made by its much larger kin. And then their secret would be revealed...

Once and for all.

The black shape stuck to the shadows as it sneaked its way into the building's main entrance. There was no one watching, as it was getting close to sunset. The workers had gone home for the evening, and the night shift wasn't scheduled to start until eight that evening. And that was the perfect window of opportunity to sneak in. It would wait patiently from here on out until the next attack.

And then it would strike.


	14. SNAKE

Lobomon shifted in his seat as he watched the scenery go by outside the limo's window.

Beside him, Bugs calmly sipped a carrot juice in a fine wine glass, not even noticing the trees or vast expanses of field that they traveled through.

The rabbit looked over at him, as if sensing something off. "Something up, doc?" he asked.

"Just... just a bit uneasy, that's all," he muttered. "Ever since we got here, I've been getting a bad feeling... And I don't like it." His red eyes hardened as he said this, and Bugs snorted.

"Well, given your enhanced senses, I'm not surprised," he mused. "Especially since you Digimon have the ability to react to danger faster than even we Mobians. So you should at least heed those instincts of yours." Then he narrowed his eyes. "What's got you on edge, anyway?"

"Dunno... But whatever it is, it seems like it's gonna be centered right in this area..." Lobomon remarked.

Bugs rolled his eyes before he looked out the window. "You think so, huh?" he asked.

The Warrior of Light nodded.

"Hm. Well... we'd better be on high alert then," Bugs stated as he picked up his cell phone.

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: IWO JIMA BATTLE SITE_**

_The Iwo Jima Battle Site is a massive scar on the island of Iwo Jima that dates back at least five thousand years, maybe even earlier. The site itself is marked by scarred ruins and craters that have long since filled in, but their edges still remain, sticking out of the ground as reminders of a war long passed. Within two of these craters are two entities that have baffled scientists, engineers, and archaeologists ever since their discovery several years ago._

_The first of these entities is a massive mechanical being, standing at around nineteen meters in height, with segments of a secondary alternate mode that eerily resemble the E4 series _shinkansen_ of Japan. The life form, dubbed Life Form MX, once had blue, white, and gold on its armor plating, but that has since been weathered away to expose bare metal underneath. Its face is relatively humanoid, and its internals have been exposed due to combat. These internals have since given rise to the proposed SKL combat machines known only as _Shinkalions_._

_The second entity was clearly a Metal Man, but of a type unseen and uncatalogued by archaeologists. This Metal Man stood at the same height as Life Form MX, and possessed an early form of the _shinkansen_ as its secondary form. But it also seemed to be powered by steam, as engineers have found a huge boiler that burned some kind of mineral that is unknown of. Etched onto its frame are many runes that have since been translated into the modern language. These runes told of instructions to make another Metal Man, but they have been disregarded as Project SKL has proven to be far more adequate for the defense of Japan._

_The site has been constantly studied by members of both the archaeological community and the engineering community for it holds many secrets to ancient technologies that can either be used for the betterment of mankind, or the destruction of the world as we know it. Such tech could also be used to counter or even defeat the Grimm. Many people have scoured the site for any remnants, leading to the Japanese government to stake a claim on the site, saying that they would allow only a certain number of people from each community into the site to study, not take anything unless it has some historical value._

_The Imperial Family and Prime Minister have been working in concert with the United Nations to mark the site as a UNESCO World Heritage site._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"There are a number of great and historical sites across the world, each telling its own history and story to the future generations that seek them out in order to try and understand their past." The figure at the desk leaned back before adjusting their glasses. "And many times these ruins could have secrets that we cannot understand because we lack knowledge about their culture or they had no written symbols. Some sites are just that: sites with nothing to their name. While mentions may be made, sometimes in old texts that have since been translated, other sources may make no mention of the site's original inhabitants at all. That is the thing with history. Sometimes gaps exist where they shouldn't. And new discoveries may fill them in."

A monitor lit up to show a society where children fought one another in an arena while on a second monitor it showed a world where people visited sites of child experimentation. "In these two worlds, one lacks a connection to the past while the other strives to make people understand the brutal actions carried out in a war to prevent such a thing from happening again. But what if they were reversed? That is the thing about alternate realities and histories. One can never tell what each world is like." The figure shut down the monitors and looked directly at the audience (you). "After all, there is an old saying. 'Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.'"

* * *

**CHAPTER XIII - SNAKE**

A sigh escaped the young man as he sat down on a bench close to the Marunouchi Building.

He ran a hand through his dark blue hair, his cheetah ears twitching as he closed his eyes and looked down at the locket in his hand.

Ryuji Kiyosu was not too thrilled about being out and about ever since Satyra made their move into Tokyo. He bowed his head and gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist around the locket. He knew he was able to defend himself and his skills in karate spoke for themselves, but when it came to Satyra, it seemed like one needed a weapon these days to be able to fight them effectively.

And it didn't help much that his family was still reeling from the attack three years ago. His brother Tatsumi had been injured in the neck with a spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down, a wound that robbed him of his ability to move or even do anything himself. And he couldn't blame Tatsumi for wanting to get back at Satyra. In truth, he did too, mostly because of the fact that his mother was forced to work three jobs just to support the family, pay for Tatsumi's wheelchair, his sister Miyu's physical therapy sessions, and his father's hospital bills.

Ryuji placed his head on his clenched fist, closing his eyes. "Satyra..." he muttered, intense malice filling his voice.

In truth, he considered himself lucky. His grandfather had once been a member of Satyra, but after they started getting more radical, he had left, situating himself in Nagoya with his family, where they became Faunus rights activists, preferring peace to violence in their goals. They became respected over the last fifty years, making strides alongside the Vist Foundation and other organizations calling for Faunus to be treated as living beings. But it only got worse as Satyra soon declared themselves to be for Faunus supremacy and often targeted those who fought for equal rights... no matter if they were human or Faunus.

The cheetah Faunus opened his eyes as he looked up, his face serious.

"How can we beat them...?" he wondered.

Ryuji finally huffed as he stood up and placed the locket in his jacket pocket. "May as well go see what the big deal is with the building's renovation..."

He turned and headed for the door leading inside.

However, he had barely passed through the gate in the surrounding fence when he paused, his senses alerting him to danger. He clenched his fists and adopted a martial arts stance, his blue eyes flicking left and right. The cheetah Faunus bared his teeth as he listened for anything out of the ordinary.

He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed to him like something was... watching him.

His eyes narrowed as he slowly turned, and a gasp escaped him as a large snake-like Grimm lunged out of the shadows, its teeth bared as it hissed.

Ryuji rolled to the side, his fist lashing out in a punch as he channeled his Aura into the blow. His white, blue, and light blue Aura seethed around his fist as he collided his punch with the Grimm's scaly body, sending it flying back a bit. He held up his left hand in front of his chest, his right hand drawn back for another punch.

The snake Grimm was one he recognized: a King Cobrafang. The Grimm possessed a large scaly body that rippled with pure muscle, its red eyes flashing as it hissed. The large hood on its back snapped open, and the bone plates on its hood flared up and out, giving it a menacing appearance. Ryuji tensed his body as he watched the Cobrafang lunge, its teeth snapping out to bite him and deliver a dose of potent venom into his bloodstream.

The cheetah Faunus narrowed his eyes as he leapt back, his right foot covered in his Aura as he lashed out in a roundhouse. His blow nailed the Cobrafang in the chest and knocked it back before he landed and charged in, his hand thrust forward like a spear, intent on nailing the thing in the eyes.

The Cobrafang hissed before it lashed out with the tail, hitting Ryuji in the chest and knocking him back. If not for his Aura, he'd have suffered a few broken ribs, he mused as he landed on his feet, his tail uncurling behind him. He looked at the snake as it hissed, starting to slither towards him. He got into his fighting stance, his eyes hard like sapphires. He watched as the Cobrafang came in and he leapt as it tried to coil its long body around him. He flipped as he lashed out in a side kick, knocking the snake back.

The snake Grimm shook its head before hissing and diving again, this time using its tail to knock Ryuji's feet out from under him just as he landed on the ground. The move caught him off guard and he yelped, landing on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs. His eyes snapped open as he heard the hissing and he rolled to the side as the Cobrafang drove its fangs into the ground. The cheetah Faunus scrambled to his feet and bolted, looking out of the corner of his left eye as the snake pulled itself free from the dirt and slithered after.

He ran as fast as he could through the construction equipment and piles of stuff needed for the renovation, the Grimm following like a black specter. Ryuji ran inside the Marunouchi Building, leaping over piles of pipes and lighting that lay in his path. He looked back over his shoulder as he ran, hissing through his teeth in frustration. "Shit...!" he muttered.

He turned his gaze back to the front and his eyes roved around for any means to avoid detection. He spotted a nearby nook in the wall and ducked into it as the snake slithered after him. But much to his shock and disbelief, the thing just... slithered _past_ him and towards the open elevator shafts.

That was unusual, he realized.

No snake Grimm would just avoid a Hunter... or one in training, anyway.

Something was wrong. And he was determined to find out what.

* * *

GROUNDS OF THE SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

"Geez... This place gives me the creeps!" Tsuranuki grumbled as he huddled behind a nearby tree.

"I still don't understand why we had to come here," Miku remarked. "It is not as if someone is here, right?"

"You'd be surprised," Shinobu muttered from up in the tree. Miku squeaked and her rabbit ears went flat against her head.

Tsuranuki looked up at the ninja as he crouched on a branch, holding a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "I've been getting the feeling like someone _is_ here." His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the trio below. "And you know who I mean..."

The brown-haired youth gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists. "Suzaku... right?"

Shinobu was silent as he nodded. "Yes."

Tsuranuki frowned. "Where do you think she is?"

The ninja slowly lifted a finger and pointed. "There."

Beside him Akita peered through the scope of his rifle as he crouched, and his eyes flashed as he adjusted his aim. "I see her."

Tsuranuki looked in the direction Akita was aiming, and his eyes hardened into bronze as he observed the white hair of the Faunus, her tail swishing behind her as she observed the estate beyond the fence guarding it. Tsuranuki turned his gaze back to the estate and looked at the layout of the gates and defenses. He knew from his studying of the terrain that the forest offered an excellent stragetic and tactical advantage with how it was laid out. Trees overlooked the main drive, which wound through them like a snake, ending at the beautiful estate itself. The front gate was heavily guarded and watched by security cameras and a crack security team that was tasked with protecting the Sanban family due to their positions and wealth.

On top of that, the fence had secret gun emplacements along its perimeter, but they rarely activated due to the rumors that a great magic guarded this home, which was said to be at least a thousand years old. Hell, that made the second oldest inhabited structure in the world, with the first being located in Britain or something like that.

He brushed the thought aside as he heard Shinobu climbing down the tree. "What's the plan, Tsuranuki?"

The youth bit his lower lip as he pondered. He knew that with Suzaku around, there was bound to be a chance for a battle, and given her Semblance, they needed to be on high alert. Or in this case, on guard at all times.

His gaze landed on Miku as her rabbit ears twitched. He shifted a bit as he looked to Akita as he lowered his rifle. The boy placed a hand on his chin as he thought, only for an idea to spring to mind. He looked up a few seconds later. "Akita, Miku, I'm gonna need you two to try and keep Suzaku busy if she tries to get inside," he said.

"Huh?!" Both Faunus and human glanced at him in shock.

"Are you _out of your friggin' mind?!_" Akita hissed. "Last time we got trounced by her!"

Tsuranuki nodded. "I remember that," he said. "But right now, remember where we are! The Sanban estate is supposed to have guns on its perimeter near the fence, and on top of that, the terrain here is perfect for defense. Your sniping will come in handy if she even makes it to the gate."

Akita pursed his lips, but realized that Tsuranuki had a point. The terrain here _was_ favorable for defense.

"And you and Shinobu?" Miku asked. "What will you two be doing?"

"We'll be on standby in case a Grimm or something else shows up," Tsuranuki said. He looked to the ninja. "You good with that, Shinobu?"

The boy nodded. "_Hai._"

Akita puffed air out his mouth before he looked up. "All right, Tsuranuki. We'll do it."

Tsuranuki grinned. "Thanks, Akita."

The foursome split off into their teams, with Akita taking up a sniping position close to the front gates leading into the grounds. Miku hid within the brush close by, her kendo sword held in her hands as she narrowed her green eyes. She kept her rabbit ears flat against her head as she watched.

For her part, the rabbit Faunus was a bit confused. What was the fox Faunus even doing here? And why had Director Hayasugi sent them here? Was it because of the fact that Bugs Bunny was here?

A jolt suddenly raced down her spine as she gasped in shock, trying to keep it muffled with a hand over her mouth. Was it because he was there?! If so, then...

The brush rustled and the rabbit Faunus ducked down as she watched the brush part, and out stepped...

A rabbit Mobian?

* * *

Suzaku smirked as she watched the lighter-furred rabbit Mobian exit her hiding spot. Her memory flashed back briefly to when she had learned of the rabbit Mobian.

Lola Rabbitia was actually a legitimate Huntress, a Class IV Hunter of great respect and renown.

Born into a respectable family of Hunters, she had proven to be quite skilled at it when she started training in high school. Lola actually excelled during her courses, proving to be adept at using agility and her own natural athleticism to stay ahead of her enemies. She was known for using her whip in combat with grace and precision, having killed numerous Grimm and slain a few rogue Hunters as well over her career. Of course, she also had the ears of several organizations that supported Faunus rights, and she supported equal treatment for all, even condemning the actions of Satyra themselves.

She had met Bugs back when he was still learning how to be a Huntsman, and over the years they had become rather close, with her and Bugs starting to date several years ago. She even found Daffy Duck to be a good companion to hang around, and together, the trio had formed Team BLD, or Team Bold. In fact, the trio had even helped bag a notorious Satyra member who was said to have been able to mutate into a crocodile at will, without the use of a Semblance.

But that was all on the surface, just window dressing to hide her true nature.

No one knew the truth, but in reality, Lola was not just a respected Huntress within the community.

She was really a double agent.

And it was due to her connections that she was in such a high position, right below the lieutenants and herself.

A smirk crossed Suzaku's face as she watched Lola walk up to the gate. The rabbit Mobian's connections not only helped keep them informed of groups that threatened to set back their plans, but also to keep ahead of those who were making headway in the fight for equal rights. Such as the Vist Foundation. But lately it had become harder to infiltrate them, making her wonder if they were catching onto Satyra's agents. That did seem to be the case, but until more data was gathered, no one knew for sure.

Regardless, Lola was about to infiltrate the Sanban Estate, and hopefully, Bugs would soon be on their side as well.

She licked her lips at the thought as she flared her Aura briefly.

Yes...

Soon indeed.

* * *

Miku's heart was racing double time in her chest as she inched back from the sight of the fox Faunus in the brush further back.

Some small part of her was just glad for the thick foliage as it kept her hidden, but given how her kind had enhanced senses, it wouldn't be too far of a guess to think that Suzaku had sensed or picked up her scent, especially given how she was a fox Faunus.

She gripped her sword as she slowly poked around the other side of the brush, watching as the orange-furred rabbit Mobian walked up to the front gate, looking lost and confused. Her tank top and shorts looked a bit shredded, like she had been lost for a few days, and her long hair was in a ratted ponytail, along with her ears. Her brown eyes were filled with slight terror and she was shaking as she gripped her whip in her hands nervously.

Miku frowned to herself.

The rabbit Mobian clearly looked frightened and terrified, but then again, given how she had come out of the woods after being seen with the fox Faunus...

A jolt of terror flooded her body as she glanced to Suzaku's location. Was it possible... she had been held hostage by the woman?! And given her Semblance... Miku gritted her teeth. She had to know, but there was no way to be sure of who had been affected by it.

"H-Hello?"

The rabbit Mobian's scared voice tore her from her thoughts and the rabbit Faunus peeped out through the brush. "..."

At that moment, the ground shuddered a bit and Miku yelped in surprise as the guns emerged from their hidden emplacements, the barrels gleaming in the light as they rotated to face the main gate and the Mobian in front of it.

"_Unidentified individual. State your name and business here,_" came a sharp male voice. Miku had to clap a hand over her mouth to hide her gasp. She had not expected this!

"M-My name... My name is Lola Rabbitia..." the rabbit Mobian stammered, looking very frightened, and yet relieved as well. "Please... I need help..."

* * *

EN ROUTE TO TOKYO

* * *

"Hah!?" Bugs Bunny's eyes flew wide open as he heard the news from Genki herself. "Ya mean Lola's there, at your estate and she needs help?!"

"_Yes, Bugs,_" Genki replied over the phone. "_It is of the utmost importance you get back here. She seems to be very upset about something._"

"All right. I'm on my way." The rabbit closed his phone and tapped the driver. "Hey, we need to get back to the Sanban Estate. Can ya get us there quickly?"

"Of course, Master Bugs," the driver replied as he turned the wheel. The limo swerved and Lobomon had to grip his seat tightly to prevent himself from being thrown out of it by the sudden maneuver. "Geez!" he yelped. "Try not to be so reckless!"

The driver had no words as he straightened out the limo and the vehicle increased its speed. Bugs' eyes were grim, Lobomon noticed, as he gripped his shotgun in his hands. "Uh, Bugs?"

The _Duck's_ _Burrow _owner looked to the Digimon. "Hm?"

"What's going on?" the Digimon asked.

"Trouble... that's what." Bugs' voice was serious as he grasped a Dust shell and loaded it into his shotgun. "And I am not liking this trouble one bit."

Lobomon had to ask though. "What kind of trouble?"

"I dunno myself," he admitted. "But I do know this: if it involves my girlfriend, and she gets upset, then it has to be something that involves Satyra." He checked over his shotgun and examined the barrel for any damage. "She gets real emotional when they do something or threaten others. She says it's because her family was targeted by them and left for dead, if not for the quick thinking of the Vist Foundation in saving their lives."

For some reason though, Lobomon was not too sure. He bit his lower lip as he pondered this situation.

The trip back to the estate was not very eventful, nor did it take long as the driver knew a shortcut to get onto the grounds. The limo pulled up in front of the house as the two passengers scrambled out the open doors. Bugs was the first one out and he bolted for the house, his gun slung over his shoulder. Lobomon followed after, and he burst in through the door after Bugs.

The two made their way through the mansion until they came to the main office for Genki Sanban. Already the Lady of Sanban Industries was trying to console and soothe the shivering Mobian. Beside her, her two daughters sat, chatting and telling her stories about the recent adventures they had had. In Bugs' opinion, it was rather sweet of them to try and comfort her. But his biggest worry was about her condition as he saw it.

He made his way over and knelt down beside her as she sat curled on the couch in a ball. "Lola?"

The rabbit Mobian looked up, and her eyes widened. "Oh, Bugs!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. "Oh, thank Glob! I was so worried..."

"Hey, there now. It'll be all right," Bugs said soothingly as he returned the hug.

The two sat like that for a few moments before Lola pulled back. "I was so scared... especially since I heard..."

"Heard what?" Bugs asked, looking into her brown eyes worriedly.

"...heard that there could be a possible Kaiju Grimm surfacing here..." Lola whispered.

"Hold on! Don't those things usually surface near the ocean?" Bugs asked in shock. "Why would one be surfacing here on land?"

"I... I don't know..." Lola said softly. "I just know what I heard..."

Bugs pursed his lips as he looked at the group.

This was an unexpected thing... What would a Kaiju Grimm be doing surfacing on land, and so far from the ocean to boot? That was a totally unexpected attack pattern that was a huge shift from what they knew. Was it because the Kaiju Grimm had been deterred and driven back by something? It did seem possible... the only question was, what did it? What drove them back and caused them to try and surface inland?

He had no idea that the answer was soon coming... and in a way he did not expect at all.

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE GROUNDS

* * *

To Miku and Akita, things were somewhat easier now that they had managed to sneak in.

Akita, relying on his hunter's instincts and upbringing, was able to find a spot in the fence that was partially overgrown with weeds which hid a hole in the barrier. The two managed to slip in through that same hole, although it was a tight fit, and were now making their way towards the house.

The rabbit Faunus was actually a bit unsure about this. She had never even dared to sneak past a security gate before. And it worried her as to what her family - and by extension the SDI - would think of this. Thankfully she was interrupted and brought back to reality when Akita's foot nudged her in the back. Miku squared her shoulders and continued to sneak towards the house. The closest window was just above her, and she used her Faunus reflexes to jump up and grab onto it, pulling herself up so she could peer inside. Akita joined her, using his upper body strength to haul himself up as well.

Both kids peeked into the window, surprised to see that it was the office of Genki Sanban herself.

The duo could see Bugs Bunny and the rabbit Mobian female, whom they guessed to be his girlfriend, huddled on the couch while Genki sat at her desk, the white armored man standing off to the side, leaning against the wall. His red eyes were narrowed as he watched the two Mobians chatting. Miku twitched one of her ears closer to the window and pressed it to the glass pane. Now she could vageuly hear what was going on. Her eyes narrowed as she listened in.

Beside her, Akita hissed into her other ear, "What are they saying?"

Miku glared at him. "Sssh!"

She closed her eyes and listened.

"..._sure of that, Lola?_" Bugs asked in a horrified tone.

"_Yes... at least from what I heard..._" the female rabbit, Lola, murmured. "_The type is rumored to be a... a tree-like beast..._" She visibly shuddered, from the way her breathing came hard.

"_That's not good,_" an unknown voice mused. Miku's eyes shot open as she looked to see the mouth of the white armored man moving; his voice was deep, but at the same time not as deep as some others she had heard, Tsuranuki's _Shinkalion_ voice being one of them. "_Actually, this reminds me of some... creatures... back home that resembled trees. To an extent, of course._"

Genki pursed her lips before she spoke. "_Then it is of the utmost necessity that we prepare then._" Her gaze landed on Lola who was now being held by Bugs in a comforting embrace. "_Did you happen to hear as to when it will come?_"

"_No... I didn't..._" Her voice faded as Miku pulled her ear back from the window glass and she looked to Akita.

"Well?" he asked.

"There's apparently going to be a Grimm attack here," she relayed. "And it's supposedly going to be a tree-like creature."

Akita pursed his lips as his fingers drummed on the window sill. "Hmm... Think we should inform the others?"

The rabbit Faunus nodded.

A sudden shout caught the two off guard. "HEY!"

The kids jolted in surprise before they let go of the window ledge and landed on the ground, turning and bolting for the safety of the brush. They barely managed to get inside it as the white-armored man peered out, his red eyes scanning for any sign of them.

Miku and Akita huddled together in a ball, trying to avoid being spotted. Akita's teeth were gritted as he peered through the brush, trying to remain hidden. He could see the man's eyes narrow before he stepped back, but not before he looked over his shoulder and frowned. He closed the window sash a minute later.

Akita sighed in relief as Miku let go of him.

"I'll inform the others," he told her. "You keep an eye on the estate."

Miku nodded and grasped the binoculars in his hand, taking them and clambering up a tree. Akita grabbed his phone and pulled it out, bringing up Tsuranuki's, Shinobu's, and Director Hayasugi's numbers.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

Director Hayasugi wasn't too surprised when his phone rang. He pressed the button on his terminal and the message came up.

His eyes narrowed as he read it. "Hmm... So there's going to be a Grimm attack..." he muttered. "But... we have to be careful..."

The cat Faunus closed his eyes as he pondered the next course of action to take. The information Miku had heard seemed to be legit, but there hadn't been any sign of a Grimm surfacing near Tokyo Bay for some time... unless they were changing tactics. And that wasn't unheard of. In the First Wave, the Kaiju Grimm had been known for using different attack patterns, so perhaps that was what was happening this time as well. Maybe they were just adapting to new circumstances. But at the same time, Kaiju Grimm always surfaced from the sea, not from inland. That alone was enough to make him suspicious. Never before had they surfaced inland, _away_ from the sea. At the same time, however, there had to be a presence near the Sanban Estate in case a Kaiju Grimm did strike.

A tap on his keyboard and a map came up, displaying the surrounding area and the estate itself. Already, thanks to the tracers in the kids' phones, he was able to see that two of them - Miku and Akita - were watching the estate. And the other two - Tsuranuki and Shinobu - were making their way back to the city itself. They had managed to flag down a bus and it was taking them back to the city station for possible deployment.

A smirk crossed his face as he observed this. "Looks like Tsuranuki had the right idea," he mused.

The kids were learning fast, but they still had a long way to go. Especially since there was so much to uncover about their frames and their capabilities. And they needed to be at their strongest for when the seal was broken. Not if. _When_. The only question was when it would happen.

Hokuto turned his gaze from the map to another report as it lay on his desk, detailing the second stage of Project SKL. On one side of the paper lay a small object that looked like a very tiny _shinkansen_, but was far different. This object was mostly grey, and on its sides were many small wires that lay around it like a silvery-golden halo. He looked at it critically before he picked up the report. A scan of it told him what he needed to know, so he tossed it into his desk and slipped the small metallic object into his pocket for later testing.

Right now he had to check on the next component of the project. Futaba would be in charge of this mission, he decided.

He stood up from his desk and made his way out of his office into a separate computer room. This room, unlike the main office, was going to be a dedicated command center for future combat ops against the Kaiju Grimm or other adversaries. In the middle of the room was a cluster of consoles and computers at which technicians would sit and monitor the conditions of the _Shinkalion_ frames and the Drivers. The middle of the wall in front of the consoles was taken up by a large monitor, on which would be displayed the battle, along with up to three of the _Shinkalions_ when in operation. But there was something else that made this room special.

One of the technicians in charge of programming looked back, his eyes widening in shock. "Oh! Director Hayasugi!" He saluted before trying to straighten out his uniform. The director merely brushed it off.

"Just drop it," he said. "I have no need for real formalities."

The techie blushed as he nodded. "Y-Yes, sir," he stammered.

"I just came to check up on the project," the cat Faunus explained. "How's it looking?"

Here the technician felt a lot more at ease; he was more skilled with programming than with socializing, he felt. "Well, sir, the programming has been worked out. But we still need a few more months to fine tune the personality matrix and install facial and voice recognition for the Drivers as well as their _Shinkalion_ frames. That will be more of an issue, and then we have to select the proper vocal modulations as well as integrate the avatar into the system. All in all, we're looking at about... half a year to a year before it becomes live," he explained.

"Hm. Too long... Any way to move things along?" Hokuto inquired.

"The tech boys who are doing the battle simulation software say that that is almost done, so... hopefully that will shave some time off of this," the techie replied.

"Okay. Just try to shave off as much time as possible without sacrificing anything," the director ordered.

"_Hai!_"

* * *

****MARUNOUCHI BUILDING****

****BASEMENT LEVEL****

* * *

Tsuranuki and Shinobu arrived at the city station about an hour later, and they ran across the street to the half-finished Marunouchi Building.

It didn't take them long to make their entry into the building's basement and then into the pod room.

However, they had no idea... that they were being watched...

By their silent attacker.

The snake hissed as it began to slither towards the room...

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

Just as a large rumble shook the elegant grounds of the Sanban Estate.

Miku and Akita looked worriedly at one another, fear crossing their faces.

It was just as they had feared...

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

* * *

And watching it all, a figure smiled.


	15. ASSAULT

The ground shook near the estate, keeping the kids on high alert.

Akita narrowed his eyes as he scanned the surrounding location, his guns held at the ready while Miku hefted her sword, trying to inch closer to her friend.

Both kids weren't sure as to where or when the Grimm would show, but they knew it was out there.

His eyes hardened as he inched closer to Miku, looking left and right.

"What kind of Grimm do you think it is?" Miku asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Akita admitted. "But whatever kind it is, we have to be ready for it." He flicked a switch on his left rifle, and a fire Dust round loaded into the chamber. "Especially now."

He had no idea how right he was.

The next thing they knew, the ground below their feet began to bulge and Akita looked down, his eyes widening. "_JUMP!_" he barked to Miku.

The rabbit Faunus didn't even hesitate. She crouched and sprang off the ground, flipping and landing atop the fence surrounding the property, balancing on its edge as Akita leapt back and grabbed onto the metal weave of the fence. He had holstered his right gun and was using his right hand to cling tightly to the fence in a death grip. He aimed his left gun at the ground, only to stare in shock as a large tree root extended from the ground. His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth, preparing to fire as it came right for the two of them.

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: N700A NOZOMI_**

_The fifth unit to be brought online, the N700A was developed for close quarters combat. Unlike most other units, the N700A has no long range weapons, being primarily used for hand-to-hand combat. In the right hands, this unit is a devastating weapon. It is capable of equipping an extra car for extra armor, dubbed Advanced Mode._

_The N700A stands at 27.5 meters in height in humanoid form and in default and battle forms, it weighs 100 tons. It is armed with twin energy knives, and its Advanced Mode is armed with the Dragon Knuckle, a projectile attack using its Advanced Arm. The unit is also armed with a shield in this mode._

_The driver of this unit is Ryuji Kiyosu._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Close combat is a good way to fight if you are in tight spaces. But what if you are forced into a fight where you have to use whatever you can get your hands on? That is also a method of combat. Except in this situation, you have to rely more on your brains than your brawn." The figure waved to a nearby monitor, the images showing the elite military unit training against their much larger allies. "And sometimes it's best to think outside the box. After all, you never know what you could learn to use to your advantage in combat. And that can sometimes make all the difference in the world."

* * *

**CHAPTER XIV - ASSAULT**

Tsuranuki grunted as he vaulted over a pile of piping, making his way towards the Marunouchi Building close by. Beside him, Shinobu ran as fast as he could, easily keeping pace with the other youth.

The duo made their way to the elevator shafts, unaware of what was lurking close by...

At least until Tsuranuki heard something off.

His eyes snapped up and he looked around, his body tensing as he reached for his drill. His hand curled around the grip as Shinobu paused. His ninja training was telling him that there was danger afoot. His hands clenched around a pair of kunai knives, his eyes narrowing.

"We're not alone..." he mused.

Tsuranuki said nothing as he nodded.

A loud hiss startled the two teens and they whirled around, Tsuranuki's drill whirring as he thrust it forward, barely missing the black snake as it coiled around him. Tsuranuki gasped as he clawed at those thick coils, trying to keep himself from being suffocated to death by this thing. It turned its head around and it hissed, flaring the hood and bone flaps wide open.

The boy pried open an eye, his teeth gritted as his hand clenched around his drill. Memories of a Cobrafang nearly devouring his baby brother came to his mind and he gritted his teeth, his Aura flaring in response to his feelings. Tsuranuki drew back his drill, and as the King Cobrafang dove down for a bite, he thrust it up, the tip penetrating the top of its mouth. A screeching hiss escaped the King Cobrafang as it dropped the youth and his fist last out in a punch, colliding with the face and stunning it. "Shinobu, go!" he barked to Shinobu, who was surprised. The ninja blinked as Tsuranuki called out again. "GO!"

Shinobu yelped and scrambled off, throwing a kunai at the snake's tail to pin it long enough for him to escape.

The ninja bolted for the elevator shafts and Shinobu glanced back at Tsuranuki as he watched in worry. He was concerned for the other kid, but he brushed it aside. He could hold his own. He knew he could.

He hoped.

He grabbed onto the elevator cable and began to slide down the shaft. His last glimpse of Tsuranuki was of him fighting the King Cobrafang, his drill driving itself into the snake's face, black smoke oozing from the wound. He tore his gaze from the door as he slid down the cable, his eyes pricking with tears. He didn't want to leave his friend to die at the figurative hands of that thing, but... What else could he do?

Shinobu finally took in a breath and calmed himself. Maybe Tsuranuki would get lucky and defeat the thing. Or at least buy time for him to join the ninja. He finally landed on the bottom of the shaft and bolted out, heading for the pod room door. He darted in and slammed the door, locking it tight. Of course, there was no way it would hold against a King Cobrafang for long. So in truth, this was a desperate situation.

He bolted for his pod and slipped in, closing the pod's cover and grabbing the helmet propped on the back of the seat. He placed it on his head and he leaned back as the visor began to glow with power. A faint tugging sensation filled his brain briefly before it settled down and he could sense the tendril as it formed.

"_Shinobu, it's Futaba. I'll be in command of this mission,_" came a familiar voice.

"_Hai._ Standing by," the ninja replied.

"_Good. I assume that Tsuranuki will be joining you shortly?_" Futaba asked.

"..." Shinobu was silent for a moment before he answered. "Yes."

"_Okay. We just got word of a new Kaiju Grimm that's surfaced inland._" Her voice was dead serious as she spoke. Shinobu's eyes widened beneath the visor, all worry of Tsuranuki driven from his thoughts.

"What?! A Kaiju Grimm surfaced _inland_?!" he blurted

"_Yes. It's been spotted near the Sanban Estate,_" Futaba explained. "_Unfortunately, we can't get a good visual on it due to all the trees in the area, but we have code-named it Misertree due to the sudden complaints of people collapsing from depression in the area._"

Misertree seemed like a fitting name. But what did it look like? Shinobu pursed his lips as the visor flashed _100%_ in his vision, showing the gauge was at full power. "_You are to try and help the others in the area, as well as keep the Kaiju from destroying the Sanban Estate. That is your number one priority._"

"_Hai._" Shinobu closed his eyes and focused on the tendril leading him to the E3. He felt a slight sense of detachment, followed by a tug, and then he was speeding down the tunnel towards oblivion.

* * *

For Tsuranuki, he was doing fairly well, but not as well as he would have liked.

The King Cobrafang flared its hood before it dove in, intending to bite him on the leg, but the boy crouched and flipped, springing off the wall and slamming his drill into its left eye. A screech escaped from it as it pulled back, smoke spilling from the socket. It looked up, flaring its hood again. Tsuranuki got into a fighting stance, deciding to try a few moves he had picked up from a more recent _Gundrazer_ episode. In truth, he wasn't sure if they would even work, but then again, what choice did he have?

He gritted his teeth and charged forward, a cry escaping his throat as he shoved his drill forward, as if intending to pierce the chest of the King Cobrafang. The thing lunged, slithering towards him, mouth open to meet him halfway. But the boy then crouched, and as the Grimm prepared to snap its jaws shut, he sprang off the ground mere centimeters before it could grab him in its jaws. He flipped, his right foot lashing out in a kick. He drove his foot into the wounded eye, earning another screech as the Grimm thrashed in its agony. Tsuranuki flipped back and skidded on his free hand and feet, his drill held out to the side. His eyes were hard as he got to his feet, feeling the burning aching in his palm and knees.

The Grimm shook its head to try and dispel the pain, but in its thrashing, it lashed out with its tail, the thick limb smashing into Tsuranuki's chest. He threw up his Aura at the moment before impact, causing him to only get the air knocked from his lungs. He was sent rolling from the force of the blow, but he managed to come to a stop close to the elevator shaft. He staggered to his feet and looked back, spotting the hanging cable. He glanced back at the Grimm, and then an idea spawned in his brain.

Tsuranuki grabbed the cable closest and cupped one hand to his mouth. "Hey! Snakeface! Over here!"

The King Cobrafang perked up at the sound of his voice and slithered towards him, its fangs gleaming for its first - and last - meal. But Tsuranuki was not about to let this thing get him, or his friends. He tensed, placing his drill back on his belt and gripping the cable in both hands. His teeth were gritted and his eyes were hard like bronze. He tensed his muscles, waiting for the right time. If he was off, then he was a goner. And he was not about to let some snake get the better of him. Not when there was so much on the line. And especially not right now!

The boy crouched and leapt towards the snake Grimm, a cry escaping his throat.

The Grimm curled itself into a coil, intent on capturing the boy for its meal. But Tsuranuki dodged to the side, and using the momentum of his charge, snapped the cable out in a whip-like fashion, the middle of it forming a sort of loop that wound up around the King Cobrafang's mouth. With a grunt, he pulled on the cable, binding the snake's mouth shut. He tied off the cable and smirked as he stood up. "Good luck eating your way out of that!" he quipped.

He turned and bolted back to the shaft, grabbing onto the second cable and sliding down to join Shinobu.

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

Miku grunted as she flipped over an incoming root, landing on the ground and looking back at the large shape as it loomed over the grounds.

Standing at an imposing fifty three meters in height, the large Kaiju Grimm was much bigger than the normal Kaiju, but it was in no way as large as the Coal Walker had been. It consisted of a mass of tree roots and branches fused into one entity, with a pair of reddish eyes glaring back at the two kids. Its mouth was made of massive pointed roots that gnashed and chewed at the air, as if anticipating an easy meal. It moved thick branch-like arms with long root-like fingers, and it slowly inched along the ground, using its roots to move.

Beside her she could sense Akita as he landed in the tree above her, his eyes narrowed as he studied the Kaiju Grimm. "This is bad..." he muttered. "How in the hell are we supposed to beat that thing?"

The rabbit Faunus chewed her bottom lip as she pondered. She looked around, but nothing was visible. In fact, the only real advantage they had was the fact that this Grimm moved much more slowly than any others they had fought so far.

The Misertree looked at the two teens and roared, sending out a wailing screech that seemed to sap all their will to fight. Both teens flared their Auras, deflecting the worst of the screech from them and they retreated, trying to lure the thing away from the estate.

"C'mon... when are we gonna get some backup?" Akita muttered.

His phone rang at that moment, and he grumbled as he pulled it free from his pocket, after holstering one of his guns, of course. He pressed the talk button. "Go."

"_Akita. It's Futaba. What's your situation?_" Futaba asked.

"Long story short, this thing is trying to reach the Sanban Estate," Akita explained. "We're trying to lure it away, and so far it seems to be working. But who knows for how long?"

Futaba was silent for a moment, and then she spoke again. "_We're planning to fire a capture field at Misertree, hopefully trapping it. But given its ability, it could be a risk to you and your friends._"

"I would highly advise against that," Akita said harshly. "At least until we know more about it!"

"_Your suggestion is noted, but until the director says otherwise, we're still going to fire it anyway. We have to contain it somehow,_" Futaba said. "_I'm sorry, Akita._"

The boy growled, but admitted she did have a point. They _did_ need to contain it somehow and prevent it from reaching a city. Especially Tokyo. He looked up at the Kaiju Grimm as it waved those branch-like arms and fingers, splitting apart the trees as it moved past them towards the Sanban Estate again.

"Okay! Do it!" Akita shouted. "It's not stopping, nor is it following me and Miku anymore!"

Futaba barked something to one of the other techs on the other side and then she directed her attention to him again. "_Akita, I suggest you and Miku get back here. Tsuranuki and Shinobu have already been deployed, but we may be needing your support too._"

"No can do," Akita said. "We're too far out. And we won't get there in time. We'll try and stall this thing as much as we can, hopefully buy some time for them to arrive."

The young woman's voice trailed off before she sighed. "_Very well. You two are to try and stall Misertree from approaching the estate by any means necessary. When Tsuranuki and Shinobu arrive, we'll fire the capture field. Hopefully we'll have more intel on this thing at that point as well._"

The boy nodded. "Understood."

He hung up the phone and turned to face the Kaiju Grimm as it drew closer to the Sanban Estate.

"Okay, Miku. You ready?"

The rabbit Faunus nodded. "_Hai._"

The two teens burst into a run, making their way towards the estate gates, hoping to stop the Grimm from breaching them.

* * *

Lola was terrified.

Sure she had been expecting a Grimm, but nothing like this.

Her very body shook in her horror as it drew closer to the manor's gates.

Beside her, Lady Sanban stood as calm as ever, her eyes fixed on the main monitor showing the gates. She held out a hand and spoke into a small microphone on her suit. "All security, prepare for Anti-Grimm combat!" she ordered.

Alarms began to wail as Lola looked at Bugs. "Bugs... what'll we do?" she asked.

The _Duck's_ Burrow owner placed his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest. "Let them handle it, Lola," Bugs told her reassuringly. "Lady Sanban and the rest have it under control."

Deep down though, he wasn't too sure. A Kaiju Grimm of an unknown nature... what were its abilities, if any, and what other powers did it have? Bugs looked out the window of the office, his eyes hardening into obsidian shards. He felt tempted to grab his shotgun and go out, but something wisely told him to stay back from this thing.

The Misertree roared as it thrust those arms towards the fence and gate surrounding the property.

The limbs started to wind around the fence, only for the guns to emerge from their hiding spots and swivel on their mounts to face the Grimm. Not even seconds later and they started to fire, striking the Misertree at point-blank range and making it back off with a roar of agony. The Kaiju Grimm leapt back, those roots pushing it off the ground with surprising strength. Lola peered around Bugs' shoulder and her body shuddered. That thing was downright creepy, and dangerous.

Genki was silent as she observed the sight. The Misertree roared again and thrust those limbs towards the gates. She pressed the mike on her lapel and spoke into it. "Raise the blast gates."

The monitor showed the large metal slabs rising out of the ground, the branch-like fingers entwining themselves on the metal gates before the blast gates lurched upward, tearing off a good portion of those fingers before they retreated, allowing the thick metal gates to finish covering the main entryway. Genki watched seriously as the Kaiju Grimm roared and thrust its other arms forward, those branch fingers driving against the thick metal, leaving sparks as they raked along it. All along the rest of the manor's perimeter, guns swung around and came online while the metal fencing became engulfed in electricity as a deterrent.

Lola wasn't sure how long they could hold out against this thing. But she was praying to Glob for a miracle.

And one was on the way, whether she knew it or not.

The guns roared, sending shells right for the Misertree as it tried to claw its way past the fences. A few shells exploded close to it, sending shrapnel into its branches and thick bark. But much to their shock, it brushed off the attack, and just lashed out again and again with its limbs, trying to force open the front gates.

"All guns, aim at the roots!" Genki ordered.

"NO!" Lola cried. "You do that, and it will just jump right over the rounds!"

Genki looked to her, only to suddenly hear the guns fire a second time, this time for the roots. She turned her gaze back to the monitor, and her eyes widened in shock.

Much to Lola's word, the Misertree just...crouched... for lack of a better term... and sprang up into the air, those roots propelling it above the rounds as they sped beneath it and struck the ground further back. The Misertree's roots lashed out and drove themselves into the ground, pulling it back to earth with a jarring _thud_. Lola winced.

They were so doomed...

Or so they thought.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

Esebu grunted as he revved his engine a few times. Beside him, Fumikiri was silent, but he could sense the other _Shinkalion_ was just as tense as he was.

"_Okay, you two. We have reports of Misertree in the vicinity of the Sanban Estate. Your objective is to take it down, but given its ability, we're hesitant to fire a capture field against it. So you are to fight as best you can in the area of the estate,_" Futaba said over their comm systems.

"I can understand the hesitation then," Esebu replied with a final rev of his engine. He unlocked his brakes and started to roll forward a bit on his wheels. "What of the others in the area? How are they faring?"

"_They're holding their own so far, but the Misertree's durability is giving the estate's gunners a real hard time,_" the acting director said. "_Plus, Miku and Akita are going to try to provide what assistance they can. So be careful._"

"Somehow I think we'll be needing more than just their help alone," Fumikiri remarked. His engine revved once. "Is that... Seph... still around?"

Futaba was silent for a moment, and actually, Esebu realized that Fumikiri did have a point. _Was_ Seph still around? Personally, he hoped so because they could use all the help they could get against this thing. Especially given its ability.

In truth, he was more curious about the man's whereabouts than if he was actually even _in_ Japan. But he didn't have much longer to wait. Futaba's voice resonated in his processor a few minutes later.

"_Yes. I just caught a glimpse of him via a traffic camera walking back to the Tokyo Station Hotel. I can get a call in if you'd like,_" she said.

"Not yet," the lead _Shinkalion_ replied. "Plus, no doubt he'd be watching the news or something." In all honesty, it was a gamble. But then again, some of his other plans had been gambles, too, right?

He brushed the thought aside as Futaba gave them the go ahead to deploy. The signal turned green and Esebu put more power to his wheels, Fumikiri right behind him.

"Esebu, E7 Kagayaki..."

"Fumikiri, E3 Tsubasa..."

"_Shuppatsu shinkō!_" both _Shinkalions_ declared.

The two sped out of their docks, heading into the tunnels. As they entered, the doors slid shut, sealing the path back. Esebu flicked on his lights and revved his engine, pouring on the speed as he gave a blast of his horn.

* * *

**MARUNOUCHI BUILDING**

**BASEMENT LEVEL**

* * *

Ryuji grunted as he looked back over his shoulder, having seen the King Cobrafang finally escape its binds.

He knew it was down here.

He had seen it come down this way after it slithered down the elevator shaft.

A soft hiss reached his enhanced hearing, and he looked back, his hand clenching into a fist as his Aura swirled around it. The Grimm lunged from the shadows, intent on getting a bite in on the cheetah Faunus, but he rolled to the side and whipped his foot out, colliding it with the Grimm's left eye and making it screech. His eyes hardened as he retreated from the thing's long body, landing a bit further away from it than he intended. He gritted his teeth as his tail swished behind him. "C'mon..." he muttered. "How hard is it to take this thing down?"

The snake Grimm hissed as it lunged for him, but the boy leaned back and flipped, his feet lashing out in an upper kick that collided with the chin, making it bite down on its own tongue. That gave him the chance to leap to his feet and run for it, bolting for the nearest room.

The cheetah Faunus glanced back over his shoulder, only to gape in shock as the thing regained its senses and chased after him, its eyes flashing red in its fury. Ryuji vaulted over a pile of rebar, his hand grabbing onto one of the pieces and pulling it loose from the pile. He whipped his body around, Aura seething down the rebar as he thrust it forward, the tip jabbing into the eye he had just kicked. The King Cobrafang hissed and screeched in agony, recoiling from the blow. The rebar was torn from Ryuji's hand, and he took the opportunity to run for the nearest open door. He dashed inside, not even noticing the Grimm grasping the rebar in its tongue and whipping it free from its injured eye. The right eye pulsed as it slithered into the room, looking for its prey. Its tongue flicked out, as if tasting the tension in the air that Ryuji gave off. Behind the nearest pod, Ryuji's eyes were hard as he stood absolutely still, not even breathing for fear of the snake finding him. He could feel the sweat running down his face as he eyed the Grimm coming for him.

The King Cobrafang slithered into the room, tasting the air as it sought him out.

Only to stop as it looked at the pods.

Ryuji could see from his hiding place that two of the strange pods, whatever they were, were active and powered up. The others were without power. Much to his surprise, four of them were colored and only two were slate grey. He brushed the thought aside though as he saw that there were two people inside two of the colored pods, and a jolt of fear raced through him as he heard an acidic hiss on the floor.

Around the same time, alarms began to blare and Ryuji looked up as he saw the Grimm moving to the blue, white, and gold pod, its remaining eye fixed on the form within.

"No!" he shouted, leaping out of hiding as he whipped his left foot out in a kick, dealing more damage to the wounded left eye. The Grimm hissed in agony, its tail whipping out to try and connect with Ryuji's chest. But the Faunus youth landed on the ground and sprang into action, his right hand seething in his Aura as he drove it into the King Cobrafang's chest. His other hand whipped out and grabbed its tail, pulling it close and then, in a desperate gamble, he shoved the end of the tail into the King Cobrafang's mouth, causing it to gag and choke the further he stuffed it down. It was like the old adage of a snake eating its own tail, he noted as he watched the Grimm squirm and writhe as it tried to get air into its lungs... if it had any. But the motion was all too similar, he mused. He kept that tail in its mouth, and slowly, as he stuffed more down its throat, its struggles began to get weaker and weaker. It also helped that its fangs had penetrated its hide, poisoning it and causing thick smoke to coil up from its wounds.

He wrapped his legs around the squirming mass of Grimm, keeping his hands around that tail as it remained in the Grimm's mouth.

Finally, the struggles ceased and the King Cobrafang began to disintegrate into smoke.

Panting, Ryuji got off the Grimm, looking down at it with disgust and fury on his face. He hated Grimm like this. Especially considering what it tended to do with people, Faunus, and Mobians. He gave the body a last kick for good measure before he turned and looked around the room, the alarm blaring in the background outside in the hallway. The pods were clearly important, he figured as he knelt beside one. His eyes narrowed as he picked out the words _N700A Nozomi_ on the side. He glanced back at the door before he frowned and pried open the top.

Inside he could see a seat of some kind, and perched atop it was a helmet of some kind. The top of the helmet was primarily blue, but on the front was a head crest that looked in a way like the Dragon of Denver's V-fin. The top spikes were gold, and the side spikes were pure white. In between the golden spikes was a silvery-white command fin, much like on the titular mecha in _Gundrazer_. The visor itself was a deep blue color. Ryuji wasn't sure why, but something just... it seemed like something was... _calling_ out to him... telling him to take this seat and don the helmet...

He brushed it aside and snorted, preparing to close the pod's cover.

Only for footsteps to echo as he looked back at the door. The cheetah Faunus looked at the pod, then acted by clambering in and closing the lid. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but since he was in some top secret facility, he figured, he needed to avoid being spotted. He huddled down in the seat in a ball, only to look back at the helmet. Its visor pulsed once in the emergency lights as they kicked on; he shot a glance back at the acidic spot on the floor, noticing that the acid had eaten a hole through the metal and into the wiring below. A sinking feeling filled his gut as he drew closer to the helmet. He didn't even get why he was doing this to begin with. He should just leave.

But his hands curled around the helmet, and he plucked it off the seat.

Ryuji wasn't sure what would happen when he put it on. He didn't know what to expect.

But one thing was certain.

He was not expecting things to go dark.

* * *

EN ROUTE TO SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

Esebu's systems were racing as he pushed his frame to the limit.

He could already see the results of Misertree's attacks the closer they drew to the grounds of the Sanban Estate.

His metallic feet pounded the ground as he ran. It was too risky to ride the rails, he figured, given that the estate was nowhere near the rails to begin with. And with the ability it possessed, it was much safer to go on foot.

Beside him, Fumikiri ran through the trees, being as swift as he could. His lighter frame was an advantage to give him greater agility, but even he was not as fast as Matagi. Esebu shoved those thoughts from his processor as he turned his fierce green optics onto the hulking shape of Misertree as it loomed before them.

"_Remember to mute your audios!_" Futaba instructed. "_I don't want you guys to be affected by that thing's screeches!_"

"_Roger that!_" Esebu replied over his internal COMM.

"Hai," came Fumikiri's reply. Esebu focused on his audios and willed them to be shut down as the Misertree finally sensed their approach. It turned to face them, those branches twitching as it swiveled away from the estate's main gate.

Its red eyes flashed and it opened its mouth, no doubt letting loose a screech. But thanks to Esebu and Fumikiri shutting down their audios, they heard nothing. No screeching, no birds, nothing. Nothing but silence.

And it unnerved Esebu. He had never expected to have to turn his hearing off altogether. And being in total control of that was enough to make him shudder against his will. Too bad he couldn't hear his armor rattling against his metallic hide. But he sure as hell could feel it.

Off to his side, he noticed Fumikiri also shuddering a bit. But he brushed it aside as he turned to look at the Misertree as it noticed that its screech had no effect on the two mechanical beings before it. Its red eyes widened in shock and disbelief as it screeched again.

Esebu felt a twinge of pride in his chest as he straightened up, standing tall and proud. He smirked his thoughts. "What? Surprised we can't hear you?" he said; though he couldn't hear himself speak, he felt the vibrations in his vocalizer and his processor translated that into words inside his internal COMM.

The Kaiju Grimm roared as it thrust those arms towards him. Esebu crouched and leapt up into the air as Fumikiri unleashed a smoke bomb, vanishing as soon as it went off. Esebu expanded his radar and picked up the ninja _Shinkalion_ behind him, crouched in the trees behind the estate fence. A risky, but well thought out move, he mused as he landed.

Esebu turned to look back at the Grimm and flared his optics as he summoned his Wheelset Drill to his hand. "Okay, twigface! Time to chop you into matchsticks!"

The Misertree lashed out its branch-like arms, the fingers twitching as it reached for the _Shinkalion_. Esebu crouched as they neared his position... and then he jumped. He leapt into the air, twisting his frame into a flip as he whirled around, delivering a nasty drop kick to one of the limbs, shattering it as his foot connected with it. The Kaiju screeched as it pulled the injured limb back, flailing what remained on its arm. Esebu smirked in his thoughts as he landed on the ground before shoving his drill towards one of the eyes.

Only for one of those roots to wind itself around his foot and throw him back. Esebu screamed as he went flying, landing on the ground close to the manor's front gates as dust settled around him. He groaned as he started to push himself into a sitting position. "Okay... bad idea...!" he grumbled to himself. "Better not do that again..." Esebu got to his feet, brushing off his armor briefly before locking gazes with the Misertree. He hefted his drill and started to circle, trying to find any spot to jab it... any spot not within reach of those roots.

Or those arms.

Esebu frowned in his thoughts. '_Okay... maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all..._' he thought to himself. He swore he felt a large sweatdrop run down the side of his helm at how he had just charged in.

However, the moment was disrupted when he sensed the Misertree lunging with its roots towards him and the gates. His optics flared as he braced, flaring his Aura as he spun up his drill and thrust it forward towards the trunk of the Grimm.

* * *

Akita slowly lowered his hands from his ears as he looked out of their hiding spot.

Beside him, Miku unfurled her rabbit ears from her head and slowly stuck one up fully. She listened, but there was no sound of the screeching from the Misertree. Both kids didn't put down their Auras though, just in case.

She slowly lowered her ear and turned to look at Akita. "No sign of it," she muttered.

"Best to be careful anyway," the boy mused as he hefted his guns. "Esebu and Fumikiri may be holding it at bay, but they're going to need some backup."

The rabbit Faunus nodded as she gripped her sword.

Both broke out of their hiding spot, running for the gates.

In front they could see Esebu fighting against the Misertree, his optics pulsing as he thrust his Wheelset Drill in front of him as the Grimm launched itself towards him using its roots. His Aura flared as he channeled it into his drill, a roar escaping his vocalizer as he spun up the weapon. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Aura streamed off his drill as it impacted the Kaiju Grimm in the trunk.

Or rather its mouth.

Akita was surprised at this, and so was Esebu apparently, because he pulled his drill out, smoke oozing from its mouth, along with that dark sludge they knew all too well as being the Dark Substance. The _Shinkalion_ pulled back just as the stuff nearly touched his foot; no one was willing to take a chance on it touching them in any way. And that included Team Shinkalion.

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ landed a ways off, but not by much as he hefted his drill, examining it critically as he raised it to his face. He apparently spotted something on it because then he flicked the drill a few times and Akita saw a few drops of the Dark Substance fly away from its tip. Esebu finally looked up, his optics pulsing.

"Okay... That was pushing it!" he muttered lowly. "No one does that and gets away with it!"

Esebu crouched, only to lunge forward again, this time using his caterpillar treads to avoid the incoming roots. He wove around them like a needle threading a stitch shut. He held his drill off to the side as he zoomed in towards the Misertree again, and this time as it attacked him with those front roots, he crouched and leapt up over them, his left hand lashing out and closing around one as it tried to wind itself around his throat. A chuckle escaped his chest as he planted both feet on top of the Kaiju Grimm, pulling the root taut before he drove his drill into it and broke it. The Grimm tried to screech in pain, only to emit a raspy sound from its throat. Apparently Esebu's drill had damaged its vocal cords, Akita mused as he scrambled for a nearby tree to take up a sniping position.

The _Shinkalion_ leader apparently realized it too, as he finally shook his helm. "Damn... That's the last time I'm shutting down my audios!" he muttered.

Akita's phone rang at that moment and he answered it. "Go."

"_Akita, it's Futaba. How's the battle going?_" she asked.

"So far so good. Esebu apparently damaged the Misertree's vocal cords because it can't screech anymore," Akita noted.

"_He did?_" Futaba's voice was filled with shock. "_That's good news then! We're about to fire the capture field then!_"

"I would highly recommend against it," Akita said. "The field would be seen by those inside the Sanban Estate, and aren't we supposed to be doing this thing in secrecy?"

Her voice trailed off as she pondered this.

That gave Akita time to hang up. He could worry about his little insubordination later. Right now there was a battle to be won.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

For his part, Ryuji just didn't know what to make of the situation.

He looked down at his now mechanical hands, flexing them as he tried to piece together just what had happened. One minute he was getting into a pod of some kind, and next thing he knew, he was... _this_... whatever _this_ was. And for that matter, where was he?

He raised his gaze from his hands as he let them fall to his sides. He slowly looked around, his new optics picking out the logo of the SDI (whatever that was) on the back wall, right underneath an observation deck of sorts. Six bays stood off to the side, and a trio of parking spaces for the trains lined the area below the SDI logo. He could also see several tunnels, two of which were closed.

Three other trains were parked close by, and he could see that two were undergoing maintenance while the third was dark and untouched. A few other technicians were observing him and if it were possible, he would've narrowed his eyes. But instead his optics dimmed a shade.

He took the time to examine his new frame a bit more, only to perk up as he heard an unfamiliar voice reach out to him from speakers hidden in the ceiling.

"_Unit N700A, can you hear me?_"

On instinct, Ryuji adopted a fighting stance, one hand held up, the other cupped at waist level. His shoulders tensed and he slowly shifted his weight to his rear leg as he settled into a martial arts back stance. He cast his gaze around the hangar as he finally spoke, surprising himself with the sound of his new voice. "Who are you? And what has happened to me?" he asked. Ryuji was surprised as to how deep his voice was now. It was in no way rumbling or booming, but it did have a rather calm tenor to it. However, he shoved the surprise aside as he waited for the speaker to continue.

Only silence reigned at first. It made Ryuji's frame tense, and he swore he felt his new hydraulics tightening in anticipation of a coming fight.

But much to his surprise and relief, a familiar voice came over the speaker next.

"_Ryuji Kiyosu._"

His helm snapped up to face a camera observing him, though he didn't relax his stance yet. "Mr. Hayasugi?"

"_Yes. It's me... I'm sure you heard of me from your father before... before he got attacked?_" The Faunus's voice was tinged with grief and worry as he asked this.

Slowly, Ryuji lowered his arms and stood up straight. "I knew of you, yes. My father did tell me about your efforts to help further the Central Intercept System's upgrades," he said cautiously.

"_I was in charge of that for a short time, yes. But as of late... I've been involved in trying to develop new projects for the defense of Japan,_" the cat Faunus explained. "_And right now... well... you're currently... for lack of a better word, you're currently possessing a part of one such project._"

Confusion flooded Ryuji's optics as he looked down at his hands again and turned them over to examine them from the back. "..." He was silent for a moment.

"And... just what _is_ this project of yours?" he asked.

Mr. Hayasugi hesitated before he sighed. "_Project SKL. At least, that's the official name for it. In truth, it's really called Project SHINKALION. It stands for SHINKAnsen LIberates Our Nation. I am sure you are aware of the history behind the _shinkansen_, right?_"

Ryuji nodded, wondering where this was going.

"_Well, to put it simply, Project SHINKALION is a project that was devised to use the _shinkansen_ as our greatest weapon in combat against the Kaiju Grimm that have been plaguing Japan for fifteen years now. As a result of this, we are constantly being whittled down in terms of the number of Hunters that can be deployed. It's gotten to the point where the SDF has to get involved as well, now. And frankly, Japan's people are also losing hope,_" Hokuto explained grimly (no pun intended). "_You and five others - my son and his friends - have been chosen for this project because of the fact you six have larger than normal Aura reserves and lack a Semblance. And frankly, to be honest, we're in desperate need of individuals who can go toe to toe with Kaiju Grimm. In other words, heavy hitters. Plus... if the _shinkansen _gave Japan a chance to become a technological powerhouse, who's to say it can't be used to liberate us from despair as well?_"

Ryuji stood there, pondering what he had heard and learned.

While it was possible this was just a ploy, he knew that his father had known Hokuto for a long time; hell they had even gone to university together! And he knew Hokuto was a passionate man when it came to his hobbies, his job, and his family. But after Sakura's death... well, he only became more driven to protect what family he had left. And now this project... Perhaps he was channeling his grief into it, so as to prevent more losses like that of his wife?

It did seem possible. And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He himself had been trying to become a Huntsman so as to get back at Satyra for injuring his family and leaving his mother to struggle... only to be rejected on the grounds that his family needed him more than anything. And that made him clench his metallic hands into fists.

A low growl escaped his new vocalizer and he looked up. "And there is no catch?" he asked.

"_No catch,_" Hokuto said. "_All that you have to do is fight against the Kaiju Grimm when we call you._"

Ryuji looked to the rails, then back to the observation deck. "Where do you need me first?"

* * *

**EN ROUTE TO DRACON'S HOTEL**

* * *

"Man...It's sure good to just kick back for a while..." a deep male voice mused, the metallic edge giving away the speaker's identity, no matter how much they hid themselves in that tattered cloak.

The limo was comfortable, he had to admit as he placed his feet on the seat in front of him.

To Joseph 'Dracon' Matthews, a vacation was sorely needed, especially given how he was still recovering from the fight against Sammael atop Cheyenne Mountain. His hand drifted to his chest absentmindedly and he rubbed the scar there, feeling the welded groove in the metal as he fingered it. The Gundam shuddered briefly as he remembered how exposed his reactor core had been; Sammael could have easily finished him off, but he hadn't, and that unnerved the Gundam more than anything.

A grunt escaped him as he shook his helm. The last thing he needed was to have those kinds of thoughts disrupt his vacation time.

"Guess I need this vacation more than I realized..." he muttered as he removed his hand from his chest armor.

He looked out the window, observing the scenery with a calm gaze in his violet optics. Or at least as calm as he could get.

A snort escaped his vents at that. He _really_ needed to relax. Hell, it had been _years_ since he had a real vacation!

Dracon leaned back a bit further, lacing his fingers over his chest as he closed his optics to enjoy the smooth ride. It was good to get away for a while, but in truth, he had no idea as to _what_ to do here in Japan. Sure he could take tours and even maybe see the Central Intercept System, but that was just... boring. He was a mech of action and he preferred to explore, to learn new things through experience than just through tours and explanations.

A small chuckle escaped him. '_Maybe I could learn to make a Japanese dish or two..._' he thought in amusement.

And actually, it wasn't a bad idea on his part. Tina always did like to try new foods whenever she went to new countries. Hell, she even said that she wanted to visit the Kingdom of Rodigan one day. Except Dracon wasn't too thrilled about that idea. And for very good reason, since Europe was becoming infested with larger Grimm. That alone made Dracon suspicious.

He shook his helm, trying to dispel the thought. He was on vacation, for Glob's sake!

And yet... he still couldn't shake the feeling like something big was about to happen...

And he was right.

He just didn't know _what_.

His optics opened as he looked out at the street traffic as it started to grow more congested. "Dammit..." he muttered.

The driver looked back over her shoulder. "Dracon-sama, I am sorry. But the traffic is not as good as it usually is," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Dracon remarked as he waved a hand. "Just what's going on, anyway?"

The driver bit her lower lip before she looked at the map flashing on the GPS screen. "There is a K-Alert out right now."

Dracon cocked his helm to the side briefly. "A K-Alert?"

"Yes. A Kaiju Alert," the driver informed him. "I assume you know of the Kaiju Grimm, yes?"

The Gundam hummed to himself as he nodded. "Of course. Who wouldn't?"

"Then you know that whenever a Kaiju is spotted, an alert is sent out for people to stay away from the area where it is being contained. That means that people are not allowed within fifty miles of the area, lest the damage become too great to contain." The driver was serious as she said this. "So roads have to be rerouted, and that can take up to hours, and it affects everyone."

Dracon crossed his arms. "I see..."

The next thing he knew, an intense pain seared across his helm and he cried out as he grasped it, doubling over and making the driver look back in worry. "Oh, my! Are you all right?!" she blurted.

"Yeah... Just my psychoframe acting up," Dracon admitted as he sat up, rubbing his head. "I... Just take my stuff to the hotel. I gotta find out where that feeling of dread came from."

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

Esebu grunted as he rolled to the side, the Misertree's eyes flashing as it thrust those limbs towards him and Fumikiri.

So far things had been going well, but now?

Now the thing was proving to be even harder to defeat. As soon as he had damaged its voice, the Kaiju had started to go on the offense, making it was more of a threat, and to make things even worse, it was trying to grab onto Miku and Akita as they fired on it from afar using Akita's guns.

The bullets weren't doing too much damage, which was a disappointment for Esebu. He had actually hoped they'd do more damage, since this thing was made of wood and all.

But much to his disappointment, Akita hadn't even loaded up fire Dust bullets into his guns. So they were stuck with mere ice and wind Dust bullets. Although he did note that the ice was having a minor effect in comparison to fire.

Esebu rolled to the side as a flurry of roots came his way and he held up his drill, unsure of what to do now. "Glob... Now what'll we do?" he muttered.

Fumikiri landed beside him holding his shuriken. He looked at his leader with worry in his blue optics. "Unfortunately, nothing comes to my mind," he admitted.

Esebu swore that had he been human, his mouth would've fallen open.

'_Oh... shit..._' he thought. '_We're so screwed..._'

What they did not expect was a sudden blast of a horn...

Or a bright blue laser to lance out from the top of the gate.

The _Shinkalion_ leapt back as the blast barely missed his armor (not that it would've done much damage anyway, but still), striking the roots as they came at the gates. The bluish white laser scorched one and the Misertree rasped in agony, its remaining limb flailing before it doubled over, seeming to bulk up in size before it flared its reddish eyes, making the defenders shudder against their wills. Esebu looked back, only to stare in shock at the figure perched atop the main gate of the Sanban Estate, recognizing him as the man he had been shown by Director Hayasugi. His left arm was aimed right at the Kaiju class, the barrel of a blaster glowing with bluish white energy. His red eyes were narrowed as he fired a second shot. "_Howling Laser!_" he cried.

The blast fired again, only this time right for the Grimm's eyes. The left eye got nailed and the other one flared in shock and agony, before a flash of blue and white caught him off guard.

"_GET DOWN!_" came a male voice, but slightly deeper than his. His optics flashed as he ducked underneath the newcomer, a fist lashing out to collide with one of the Grimm's roots and the other slamming into the ground, a crack forming in the very earth below. The crack wasn't too large, but it was enough to cause the Misertree to stumble and Esebu seized on the opportunity.

He held up his drill and charged at the Grimm. "RAAAAAAAAAH!"

Only for several roots to lash out from behind the tree-like Grimm and catch him in their clutches. Esebu screamed in agony as they began to squeeze his joints, trying to break them into pieces.

The newcomer didn't even respond to his predicament.

But someone else _did_.

A barrage of explosive feathers rained down from above and exploded against the roots binding his joints and limbs, causing the Misertree to retract them and Esebu collapsed to the ground, feeling his limbs aching. "D-Dammit...!" he muttered. "That was _way_ too close for comfort..."

"Yeah? Well, good thing I was in the area then," came Seph's voice.

Esebu's helm shot to look at the winged man as he hovered down. Akita and Miku joined them as Fumikiri approached, his shuriken now a bit scarred from having blocked several roots at once from grabbing the ninja _Shinkalion's_ throat.

"Good timing then," Fumikiri remarked as he eyed the winged figure.

"Seems we got ourselves an overgrown weed," Seph noted as he narrowed his silver eyes. "And I don't mean that lightly."

Esebu nodded. "Yeah. We got to take that thing down before it tries to regenerate its vocal cords," he said.

"Well, then I can at least help provide some backup until the real help gets here," Seph said as he looked to where the large Grimm and the newcomer were fighting. "And I don't mean that other one of your kind..."

Esebu finally looked over in that same direction and his engine ceased to hum just for the briefest of moments as he stared in shock at the white and blue mecha - no, _Shinkalion_ \- that clashed with the Misertree.

This one was mostly white, with blue and gold accents on its frame. Its lower legs were mostly blue, but had some golden accents on the upper legs and white on the lower legs. Its chest was made up of the nose of its _shinkansen_ mode, and its upper arms were completely grey with blue forearms, and the armor on its forearms was white. Its shoulders were primarily white with a blue stripe on the middle, and on that stripe was a sort of stylized _A_, and in front of that was the designation _N700_. The helm was primarily blue with what appeared to be a golden V, much like the Dragon of Denver's, but narrower. A white V-crest extended from below the golden one, and a silver command fin stuck out, much like the command fin of _Gundrazer_ itself. The optics were light blue in their glow while the faceplate was a pure white color.

And it looked to be slightly taller than he was.

The new _Shinkalion_ lashed out a punch in the direction of the Grimm's face, only for that remaining limb to collide with its - no, his - chest, earning a pained grunt from him. He slid back from the impact, but he didn't fall.

Esebu turned his gaze back to Seph. "Okay. So we'll need to-"

Seph suddenly reacted with surprising speed, his hand flashing silver as he fired a silvery blast at a pair of roots coming up behind the two _Shinkalions_. "Be careful," he cautioned.

"One thing you have to keep in mind!" a voice snapped behind Esebu. He almost squeaked if he didn't catch himself in time. He looked down at the fence, only to see the white armored figure from before standing there, arms folded across his chest. "And with this thing, we need to be extra careful!"

"Gee, ya think?" Akita drawled.

Esebu pinched the area where his nose would've been had he been human. "Okay... We need a plan. And not just charging in. We need a way to get to the root of this thing - no pun intended - and take it out."

He cast his gaze to the group. "So, any ideas?"

Seph smirked. "One idea on its way." He simply uncurled a finger to the sky.

Esebu cocked his head to the side before he looked up, hearing something in the distance. It sounded much like...

Wait...

His optics zoomed in on something coming in hard and fast... Something clad in brown and blue...

The last thing he expected was to hear the distinct sound of a beam gun firing, one he recognized from hearing it on the news. And this beam was coming in _fast!_

"MOVE!" he bellowed.

The group didn't even need to be told. The humans and Seph dodged, with Akita and Miku scrambling off to the side and the white armored man leaping back with uncanny agility. Seph merely flitted back using his wings. The two _Shinkalions_ rolled to the side just in time to see the beam magnum's shot hit a root cluster, making it scatter.

The cloaked figure flew past the blue and white _Shinkalion_, and his optics flashed in recognition of this winged intruder.

"No... friggin'... way...!" he rasped.

The winged figure darted down, flaring its wings wide open before launching what he recognized as fin funnels.

That alone clinched it.

The Dragon had arrived.

* * *

For once, Dracon was actually surprised.

Well, mostly at the fact that a Kaiju Grimm was based around a _tree_ this time.

Along with the presence of three massive robots that resembled the Transformers Orion had told him about back in Outpost Prima. And the fact that a Digimon was present, as well as two kids who looked like Hunters-in-training, and a man with green hair, silver eyes, and _wings..._

He brushed the thought aside as he fired off his fin funnels, launching them at the closest cluster of roots emerging from this Grimm's bottom half, only for one of the robots, a white and blue one with a head crest similar to his own, to lunge in and deliver a nasty uppercut to the thing's cheek.

The Gundam narrowed his optics as the Grimm staggered back, only to regain its balance. It reared its 'head' back and roared, or rather, it tried to.

Instead of a screech, all that came out was a gurgle of sorts. That was enough to make him tilt his head to the side briefly before returning his focus to the matter at hand.

The fin funnels darted around, proving to be hard to hit, and Dracon looked back at the group out of the corner of his optic. "So, mind filling me in on what's happening here?" he asked.

"Long story short, Kaiju Grimm. Code name is Misertree due to its ability to use its screeches to cause people to become depressed and even die from it," one of the robots - the blue and white one who he guessed to be the leader - said in a deep male voice.

"Okay. Why's it attacking here?" Dracon asked.

The robot shrugged his shoulders. "All we know is that it's striking here, and we need to defend the Sanban Estate."

Dracon narrowed his optics as he turned back to face the fight raging. Even from what he could see, the white and blue robot, despite putting up one hell of a fight, was about to be overwhelmed by those roots. "..."

* * *

For his part, Esebu was already wracking his processors to come up with a coherent battle plan. He knew Fumikiri's abilities, as well as those of Miku and Akita and Seph. The only unknowns were the white armored man and Dracon. Well, not so much Dracon because of his exploits.

The lead _Shinkalion_ looked at the man as he perched atop one of the guns. "You mind telling us who you are and what you can do?" he asked.

The man narrowed his red eyes. "Just call me the Blazing Light. And you know one of my abilities," he said, holding up his left gauntlet. "But I am also a skilled blade user, if you must know."

Esebu now had an idea as to what should be done. But the newcomer _Shinkalion_ was still unknown. So he had to pray to Glob that his plan worked... and that the newcomer would be willing to work with him and the others.

He finally looked up at the group. "Okay. Here's what'll happen. The Blazing Light and Akita will be the ones to fire from far range. This way they can snipe at any roots that come in close to try and wipe out our friend over there. Miku will be their spotter, using her enhanced eyesight." He jerked his helm at the white _Shinkalion_, now struggling to keep a cluster of roots from coming up and wrapping themselves around his neck. "Fumikiri will use his ninjutsu to keep the Misertree confused before Dracon and Seph come in from behind, using their long range attacks - Seph his explosive feathers and Dracon his fin funnels - to sever the roots at their base. Then I'll go in and deliver the finishing blow."

"Don't see any problem with that," the Blazing Light replied as he hefted his weapon.

The Dragon of Denver shot a look back at the tree-like Grimm and then at his fin funnels before a smirk appeared in his voice. "That's a smart plan," he said. "Kinda along the lines of my own idea, in a sense."

Fumikiri nodded at once. "_Hai._"

Akita and Miku looked at one another before looking back to Esebu and nodded once.

Seph rolled his silver eyes as he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one hand. "Like I have a choice?" he muttered.

Esebu ignored the snark.

"Okay. Let's do this!" he shouted.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE:**_

**NAME: Misertree**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Ultra**

**BASIS: Tree**

**ABILITIES: Misertree has the ability to remove people's will to fight or live based on its screeches. The longer a screech goes on for, the more a person becomes depressed. Repeated screeches can rob a person of the will to live, making them collapse dead on the spot. Its limbs are very flexible, and it can crush through most defenses with them. However, this Kaiju Grimm is slow, moving at only the walking pace of a human being. That makes it easy to outrun, however its slowness is made up for by the flexibility of those limbs, as well as a surprising ability to jump using its roots. Its screeches can be blocked with sound dampening headphones, and Aura as well to a limited degree. It is also vulnerable to fire.**

* * *

_**NEW GRIMM SIGHTED: DATABASE UPDATED**_

**NAME: King Cobrafang**

**CLASSIFICATION: Snake**

**APPEARANCE: A long, snakelike Grimm. It has a resemblance to the king cobra snake, complete with hood and bone flaps along the edges. When angered, these snap open and it hisses. It is colored black with red accents and red eyes.**

**ABILITIES: The King Cobrafang has incredible endurance, able to take a pounding due to its thick scales. It is capable of injecting a potent venom into the veins of its prey to kill them before devouring them. It is known to eat young humans, Faunus, and Mobians for food. Some even have seen it eating family pets, or at least attempting to before it was taken down. Its only known weakness is to stab it in the eye with a heat-based blade, or to get it to eat a dummy corpse with a Dust grenade inside, or barring that, stuffing its tail down its throat.**


	16. DRIVE

Sammael smirked. "Well, this is turning out to be interesting..." he mused.

The Fallen watched as the Misertree began to attack, driving its roots towards the clustered warriors, forcing them to scatter.

"Is that thing trying to kill them?" an unknown voice asked.

"Hardly," Sammael said as he turned to face the speaker. "What it is trying to do is something far more sinister than that." A smile played across his lips as he eyed the leader of the _Shinkalions_, Esebu.

The speaker looked at the blue and white mecha with a critical gaze. "What ever could be worse than death by depression?"

"The worst fate is to relive your most depressing memories over and over again before you break," Sammael said casually. "Of course, I rarely use such a trick against my opponents because they tend to have valuable information or are just plain interesting to let live. But given how this one is as stubborn as the Dragon... well, I want to see just how much he can take before he breaks."

The speaker hummed with interest. "I see. A very clever move, if not downright evil..."

"My dear, things are only going to get interesting..." Sammael sneered as he watched the speaker grin. Her eyes flashed red, and behind her several tentacles wriggled...

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: WHEELSET DRIVER_**

_The Wheelset Driver is the special move of Tsuranuki Daimonyama/Esebu. This move is able to penetrate through almost any physical obstacle, and is capable of delivering a fatal blow to any heavily armored Kaiju Grimm. When in use, his Aura turns a brilliant blue and is channeled directly into the drill itself, boosting its penetrating power. However, despite its power, it is weak at going through soft substances, which could jam the weapon and render it useless._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to drive, many meanings come to mind. But what _is_ a drive? What makes someone fight to give it their all in combat when everything is on the line? What makes a journalist dig for the truth in a story? What gives an investigator that edge to bring down a criminal? What encourages a team to work as one for the good of mankind?" The figure at the desk leaned in, revealing a pair of greyish brown eyes beneath the glasses. "That is the thing. There is no right answer. It's all in how we interpret it. But to have the drive to do something is just the beginning. You have to have the motivation to sustain that drive. And if that drive is not sustained, it dies out. Like any vehicle, it needs fuel to keep it moving. So unless you want to lose your drive, remember what it is that gives you that drive... and hold onto it with all you got."

The figure smiled. "Because in the end, it could change the world for the better, whether some want it to or not."

* * *

**CHAPTER XV - DRIVE**

"Okay. Let's do this!" Esebu shouted.

The team let out a cry as they charged at the Misertree.

Miku narrowed her eyes as she crouched atop the nearest gun emplacement. Beside her stood Akita and the Blazing Light, both of them aiming their guns at the large tree Kaiju. She hesitated before she pointed. "There! Aim at that root coming up from behind!" she exclaimed.

Akita shifted his position and aimed his rifles at the root as it lunged for the white _Shinkalion's_ neck. He fired a few shots, each one peppering the root as it writhed and retreated from behind the white mecha. He looked back, hearing those shots and his sky blue optics locked onto the two snipers. He merely nodded once before he lashed out in a punch and delivered a brutal left cross to the Misertree's face.

The boy scowled. "He could at least tell us his name..." he muttered as he took up another sniping position.

"We can worry about that later, Akita," Miku stated as she pointed in another direction. "There! Roots at two o'clock!"

Akita shifted his stance and this time he combined his two pistols into their rifle configuration. "Tell me when!"

"Now!" the rabbit Faunus shouted.

He pulled the trigger, sending a concentrated Dust shell right for the trio of roots aiming to gore the white mecha from behind. The tips were frozen solid upon the shell's impact, courtesy of the ice Dust in its tip. He raised his rifle to peer through the scope, his left eye closing as he peered through with his right eye. He could see that the roots were struggling to get free, only for the white mecha to turn and - much to Akita's surprise - deploy _twin energy blades from his wrists_! The boy gaped in shock before the mecha swiped with his blades, cutting the roots' tips off. He glanced up and snorted. "Nozoma. That's my name," he said. "Just don't forget it."

Nozoma then turned back to the Misertree to deliver a roundhouse kick, only for Miku to bark out a command to the Blazing Light. "One o'clock!" she cried.

The Blazing Light fired off his beam weapon, striking the next root before it withdrew as Nozoma fired off a kick that collided with the Misertree's face. It slithered back on its roots, only to regain its sense of balance before it drove its remaining limb in for a hit on Nozoma's chest. The balled up branches socked the _Shinkalion_ in the chest, but he didn't go down. He only staggered back before he regained his balance and looked up, those blue optics flashing as he got into a martial arts stance, one hand held up and the other flat at his waist. The Misertree seemed to sneer before it lashed out with its one limb and a few tree roots. But Miku gave out a series of commands for Akita and the Blazing Light to fire at. "One, two, eleven, twelve o'clock!" she cried.

The two snipers fired again, striking the roots with incredible precision. Nozoma seized his chance and lunged, his clenched hand colliding with the Kaiju Grimm's face in a brutal right cross. The blow was enough to send some shards of bark flying from its face, along with some of the Dark Substance coursing through it.

Miku actually winced at that one. "Ouch!"

"'Ouch' doesn't even begin to cover it," the Blazing Light remarked as he aimed his blaster again.

The Misertree growled lowly before its branched hand curled into a fist and then punched, delivering a blow to Nozoma and making him stagger back from the hit to his faceplate. Miku and the other two winced from the impact.

But Nozoma wasn't down yet. He looked up, his optics pulsing brightly as he swung with his energy blades as they sprang from his wrists, intending on cutting off that remaining limb.

The Grimm suddenly brought up a shield of roots, blocking the blades and one of the roots finally lashed out, curling around his throat.

That was all the time Fumikiri needed to spring in, his shuriken glinting as he threw it. The bladed weapon whirled through the air barely missing Nozoma, but cutting the roots holding his arm and neck. He took the chance to leap back, rubbing at his throat with one hand before turning to the ninja _Shinkalion_.

Esebu gripped his drill as he watched Fumikiri hold out his hand, two fingers extended, in front of his faceplate. Then there was a glimmer and there were multiple versions of him standing there before he was on the move, along with the illusionary copies of himself. The purple and white _Shinkalion_ went on the offensive, throwing his shuriken again once he caught it. The weapon buzzed through several more roots before it came back, and then he separated it into two halves before leaping skyward, along with a few illusions. The rest remained on the offense. The Misertree looked around, its eyes trying to find the original, but it was a lot easier said than done because Fumikiri wasn't even amongst the copies anymore. Esebu had seen him vanish into the trees, holding a clear line in his grasp.

He hesitated before he gave the cable a hard tug, and then the Misertree was caught in a trap made from that same line, this time curling around its last limb.

"Go!" he shouted to the two fliers.

Dracon wasted no time in emerging from the trees, which made Esebu wonder how he had even gotten behind the thing without him noticing. His fin funnels darted out of hiding as well, and then he fired, sending the beams right for one of the Misertree's root clusters. The beams penetrated the thick bark, making the Kaiju class groan in agony as it arched its back, the rest of the roots flailing in its pain. Seph's feathers gleamed as he emerged from the tree tops, wings wide open as he fired them towards the ground, striking a few roots and then he dove down, a silver beam of energy firing from his outstretched hand towards the bottom of the Misertree.

His beam struck home and the rest of the roots were severed.

The Misertree was immobile.

Esebu let out a laugh as he stood up. "Now, time to end this!"

He sprang towards the tree-like Grimm...

Only for a nasty surprise to emerge and catch him in its grip.

A hand made up of the Dark Substance lashed out from its mouth, grabbing the lead _Shinkalion_ by his head.

Esebu started to squirm and wriggle in its grasp, trying to pry those slimy fingers from his helm. But to no avail. He could feel something thin and wiry slithering its way into his helm under the armor and he began to thrash even more. But it was useless.

His vision started to go dark and all he could hear were the screams of his friends and allies.

Then he fell into oblivion.

* * *

**MINDSCAPE**

* * *

_He couldn't see anything._

_Hell, he couldn't even _hear_ anything._

_He couldn't feel anything._

_Nor could he smell anything._

_All he knew was that he was lying on something flat._

_Flat and lacking sensation._

_He struggled to bring his optics online, and was greeted with the sight of static vanishing from his vision. But there were no readouts._

_Strange. There usually were._

_Esebu slowly started to twitch his frame, moving his arms, legs, and fingers. He could feel he still had all his extremities, which was good. But where was he? And what was with the lack of readouts?_

_He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, surprised to see that he was in a pure white void. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else here. "Hello?!" he called, his voice falling on no one's ears or audios. Strangely, it didn't even echo here. Confusion flooded his processor as he finally got to his feet. He cupped both hands around his faceplate and gave another holler. "HELLOOOO?! Anybody here?!"_

_Again, silence._

_Esebu lowered his hands, stunned. Where was he? And why was he all alone here?! Where were the others?! Had that Misertree done something to him?! What had it _done_ to him?!_

_Panic began to flood his frame and his engine began to race in his chest. Esebu broke into a run, his optics flashing in his panic. "C'mon... There's gotta be a way outta here!" he muttered._

_His feet pounded the unseen surface, the pistons and hydraulics in his legs pumping as he ran. His head turned left and right as he ran, not even noticing the strange scenery starting to form around him. It was blurry, but then it began to become more distinct the further he ran. The more he ran, the more concise the scenery around him became. Already he could start to see buildings, cars, people, Faunus, Mobians... Everything. But it seemed...older, too. Like it was from years ago, back when he had been just a kid._

_That made him stop. He stopped running and skidded to a stop, looking around, optics flashing in shock. And the strange thing was, he was normal human height when compared to his true height of almost thirty meters tall. In fact, he was about an average human child's height. Hell... he was the exact same height he had been as a child._

_Esebu looked down at himself, and he was still the same: a blue and white _Shinkalion_ mecha. A glance at his reflection in a nearby store window though threw him for a loop._

_His reflection was that of his young human self. Dressed in winter garb, with short messy brown hair and wide brown eyes, a silly scarf wrapped around his neck and a pair of blue and white earmuffs on his head. He looked at his left hand, but it was still mechanical. He looked back to his reflection, only to hear a voice that made his engine seize briefly._

_His father's voice._

_"Tsuranuki!"_

_The _Shinkalion_ yelped and turned to face the direction of the speaker, one he hadn't heard for three years. His optics landed on the big, burly man as he approached, a warm smile on his face. "There you are," Yuuma Daimonyama said. Esebu could see him as clear as day, and he was just like he remembered: big and tall, about six foot four, broad shouldered and with a muscular frame from construction work. He had a few scars from his time in the yards or on the sites, some on his broad body, but one on his cheek from where a blowtorch burned him._

_"D-Daddy?" Esebu squeaked. For the first time in almost three years, he felt a surge of emotion rush through him and he raced forward as his father knelt, and he buried his face in his chest. "D-Dad... I..." He broke down sobbing, his shoulders shaking._

_"Hey, it's all right," Yuuma said gently. "C'mon. Let's go home. Your mother is worried about you."_

_Esebu looked up and nodded. "Right!" he chirped._

_However, that was when things changed._

_The next thing he knew, the scene shifted and he found himself standing in the middle of the kitchen, his father's face beet red in anger. "For the last time, _no!_ You are not becoming a Huntsman! That is final!"_

_"But why?!" Esebu found himself saying. He couldn't even believe this. This was the very first time he had even said that to his dad, and then he had exploded in anger. "I thought..."_

_"NO!" Yuuma roared, making Esebu instinctively recoil in terror. He curled his arms around himself as he turned and ran from his enraged father. He felt a pang of hurt in his chest, and he struggled to keep in a sob. The hurt still rang now, and he wished it would just go away._

_But... he wasn't a Huntsman. He wasn't! He was something else! He was a _Shinkalion!

_Esebu ducked into his room, following the path of the memory. He buried his helm in his pillow, feeling sobs tearing themselves free from his vocalizer. And strangely, he also felt tears running down his metal cheeks._

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

Lola was utterly horrified.

"This... is sick..." she whispered.

And she _did_ feel sick. She felt like she wanted to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep herself from vomiting. But at the same time, some small part of her took pride in this. And it terrified her.

That small part she knew to be her sadistic side. One that had been more prominent, but now was starting to vanish. Mostly due to the fact that this thing was not what she had been expecting.

What kind of Kaiju Grimm _was_ this thing?

That black hand held the blue and white robot's helm tightly, black tendrils oozing into the back of his helm, wriggling every now and then, as if searching out something. She watched as the other combatants tried to interfere, but those roots lashed out, trying to keep them back. It was disturbing to Lola, how that thing could maintain control over its severed roots, unless it had something to do with the Dark Substance.

And that alone was worrisome.

She glanced at Bugs with a worried expression in her eyes.

"Bugs, what'll we do?" she asked.

The owner of the resort narrowed his eyes as he hefted his shotgun. "I know one thing!" he growled. "Get out and fight! Dis thing is going down!"

"But... you could be killed!" Lola blurted, surprising herself with the genuine concern she felt for him.

"I know what I'm doing," Bugs assured her. He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, his eyes glittering with love for her. "I'll be fine." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, making her blush a bit before he pulled away and stood up. "Just stay here and keep the others safe if that thing comes this way."

"R-Right!" Lola stammered.

Bugs grinned and turned, hefting his gun over his shoulder as he walked to the main door. "Genki-san, I'm going. You know the deal."

Lady Sanban nodded and pressed a button on her desk as soon as Bugs left the room. A slight shudder came from the floor as a metallic blast door slid down in front of the wooden doorway.

"Please... be careful..." Lola whispered tearfully as tears pricked at her eyes.

And these were not fake.

They were genuine.

She turned and ran to the other side of Genki Sanban, her eyes landing on the monitor showing the outside...

* * *

And the Misertree's battle.

For his part, the Dragon of Denver was far from calm.

He was anything _but_ calm.

In fact, he was downright _horrified_.

All he could see was the limp form of the _shinkansen_ mecha in its grasp, and strangely... it seemed to be... wait...

Dracon's optics narrowed as he hovered in closer a bit, his psychoframe starting to twinge. The frame itself was pulsing slightly, and then he could...he didn't know how to describe it in words, but he could see something... dark and misty seething around the Grimm. Much like an Aura, but not an Aura in the sense he could recognize. It was more like... more like a sense of pure dread and despair he was sensing.

And it was coming from the mecha held captive in its slimy hand.

Dracon's optics hardened as they shifted from a calm amethyst to a fierce emerald green color. Around his frame, a seething greenish white light began to shimmer, anger surging through his systems. He clenched a fist as he glanced up, his wings flaring wide open to reveal his imposing wingspan.

In truth, he had no idea _why_ he was so enraged at these feelings. Maybe it was because the mecha had encountered something in his past or went through something horrifying as a youngling? And if that was the case, then what was the meaning of this? To him, it was nothing but suffering and taking satisfaction from someone else's misery was the lowest anyone could go.

That was enough to make his optics flare brightly. "That does it!" he growled.

The Gundam faced the Misertree and his wings arched as he started to call upon more energy from his psychoframe. "This...ends... _NOW!_" he roared. He threw his head back and let out a battle cry before he darted in, his fin funnels coming back to hover beside him as he sped in...

Only for a series of roots to suddenly launch from the bottom of the tree trunk that served as its body, nearly impaling Dracon in the chest. The Gundam twirled to the side, his optics widening in shock. "Oh, shit!" he swore. "It's using the misery to regenerate itself!"

Fumikiri heard the exclamation and he looked back, his light blue optics seeming to widen in shock. "NO!" he cried, lunging in.

Nozoma growled as he grabbed the purple and white mecha around the chest and shoulder. "No, it's too dangerous!" he snapped.

Fumikiri looked back, his optics hardening in his anger. "Do you _want_ Esebu to suffer?!" he shouted.

The white _Shinkalion_ kept his grip on the squirming ninja mech, though Dracon could sense that he wasn't too thrilled about this, himself. "Look! I don't like it either! But we have to find a way to remove that thing from his head before we can do anything else!"

"That's what I was going to do!" Fumikiri protested.

"No, you weren't!" Nozoma snapped. "I could see it in your optics!"

"Enough!" Seph suddenly shouted as he hovered down. "We can't afford to fight right now! We need a way to keep that thing from regenerating fully, so here's how it's going to go down. Me and Dracon will keep firing at that thing's mouth and roots to keep it from forming new ones and prevent it from regenerating its vocal cords. The rest of you try to figure out a way to free Esebu."

The group looked in confusion before Akita looked up at the floating hybrid. "Me and the Blazing Light could try to snipe that slimy arm holding him," he suggested.

Miku nodded. "I can spot for them."

Fumikiri snorted and tore himself free from Nozoma's grasp. "All right. But I want in on the fighting to keep that thing from regenerating!"

Seph nodded. "The more help we have the better. Nozoma, right?"

The white mech gave a single grunt. "I'll do what I can to provide some support if those roots get close to the house."

"Eh, don't forget about me, doc."

The group all whirled around to face the speaker, his eyes glinting as he held up his shotgun. "I'll see if I can nail dat overgrown weed in da face."

Seph stared in silence for a moment before he smirked. "As I said, the more help the better. Even if it's from you, Bugs."

Bugs Bunny grinned as he hefted his gun over his shoulder. "Den let's do this!"

* * *

**MINDSCAPE**

* * *

_Esebu whimpered as he huddled underneath the table, trying to hide from his pissed off father._

_He just didn't understand. What was happening here?! Why was he reliving these memories? Was this his punishment for becoming the equivalent of a Huntsman? If so, then what had he done to deserve this kind of punishment? Was there any way to break it? Or was he destined to suffer this forever?!_

_The _Shinkalion_ was terrified. What had he done to deserve this?_

_He curled tighter into a ball, burying his head in his knees as he began to weep._

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

"TAKE THIS!" Dracon's weapons roared their fury as he let loose with a devastating barrage, each one aimed directly at a key point in the Misertree's trunk.

The roots darted about, trying to intercept the projectiles, but as most of them were beam weapons, the efforts did little good to the Grimm. It looked at the Gundam, its red eyes narrowing before it opened its mouth...

And Seph took his chance to unleash a silvery blast of energy that struck it in the back of the mouth. A gurgling screech escaped it, and it glared at the hybrid as he flared his wings and flitted away. Dracon seized his own chance to dart in, his frame seething with pure power as he dealt a brutal haymaker to the side of the Kaiju's cheek, Wood cracked under his fist before he slammed his head into its forehead, causing it to stagger back a bit, dazed from the blow. But the Gundam wasn't finished yet. His right foot whipped up in a nasty roundhouse, connecting with one of the eyes of the Grimm and it roared in pain as its limb - the regenerated one - flew to where its eyeball had once been.

The Dragon of Denver flipped back from his attack, his wings flared wide open as he came to a hover, feeling a sense of satisfaction pulsing in his chest at the damage he had done.

Although that was going to be moot unless they got Esebu - or whatever his name was - free from this thing's clutches.

"_Howling Laser!_"

Dracon looked back and darted to the side in time as a blast of bluish white light lanced out from the Blazing Light's arm blaster. The blast barely missed the Misertree's slimy arm, but got its cheek instead. Right where he had nailed it earlier. His optics pulsed in a smirk as he clenched his right hand, swinging his beam burst gun into position. "All right... time to turn on the heat!"

He aimed his right arm and let loose with a full power charged shot. The blast split into six smaller beam shots, each one laced with fire and plasma. The six shots hit the ground around the Misertree, and a few even struck the Kaiju Grimm itself, much to the delight of the combatants. The Grimm actually howled in pain from the burning flames, but even so, it would take more than a mere blast from his weapon to take it down.

What they needed was a real heavy hitter. Something that could take it down swiftly and keep it down.

They needed Esebu.

And now.

Fumikiri summoned his shuriken back to his hand and threw it, the blades whirring like a buzzsaw as it homed in on the gooey arm slithering through his friend's helm. The ninja _Shinkalion's_ weapon barely missed the arm, but it did create a small nick on it, making the Misertree pause.

Akita saw that and glanced to Miku, who had seen it as well. She and the boy looked at one another, then back at the Misertree, then at the others.

Then they both glanced at one another again and nodded once.

Akita took up a sniping position as the rabbit Faunus narrowed her eyes.

Bugs meanwhile aimed his shotgun from atop one of the gun emplacements while Nozoma adjusted his stance in front of the main gate. All around them, the ground was churned and ruined by the fighting, but the gates themselves and the fence still held. It was like something out of a horror film, so to speak. Bugs forced the thought from his mind as he aimed his shotgun just to the left and fired, the shot hitting the left eye and actually punching through the thick bark, making the Misertree roar in agony.

That was all it took for the slimy arm to collapse slightly...

"NOW!" Miku screamed.

Akita's eyes narrowed and he pulled the trigger of his combined rifles. The shot exited the barrel, homing in on the gash in the arm holding Esebu's helm...

Only for a root to slap the bullet out of the air. "Shit!" Akita swore. "That was our best bet!"

"ESEBU!" Fumikiri shouted. "WAKE UP! WE _NEED YOU!_"

* * *

**MINDSCAPE**

* * *

_The _Shinkalion _trembled as he tried to ward off the blows._

_His armor was scuffed and scraped, and oil and other fluids oozed from his wounds. His father loomed over him, massive and imposing, holding a battered baseball bat in his hand as his eyes blazed with hatred._

_There was nothing of the man he knew as his father left in them. Nothing but unrelenting hatred for him._

_And he was terrified._

_Esebu drew himself into a ball as the man he once called father began to beat him. He could feel nothing, nothing but pain._

_Pain... and despair._

_Some small part of him tried to tell him it wasn't real, but the sensation of his armor denting under the repeated blows was enough to convince him it _was_ real._

_All he had wanted to do was protect. He didn't want this!_

_He finally curled up, a scream escaping his vocalizer. A scream of pure anguish and terror that echoed in the dark room of his home._

_The man approached the shaking mecha... and drew back the bat for one final blow. His eyes were now pulsing red with bloodlust. Esebu braced for that last impact upon his helm._

_Then impact._

_Esebu felt the blunt object strike him on the helm. His vision sputtered with static and barcode, and then he collapsed, his vision swimming. He could feel his processor aching, throbbing like a drumbeat in his head. A slick sensation on the side indicated he had a gash on his head, oozing oil and other fluids. Blackness hovered on the very edges of his vision and he swore he was getting lightheaded. The bat came down again, this time striking him on the back of the neck. A gagging sound came from his vocalizer and he finally fell limp. This was it. He was sure of it._

_"_E..._"_

_He couldn't hear much, save for a faint voice..._

_"_Es..._"_

_He didn't even know where he was..._

_"_Es...!_"_

_His mind was fading..._

_"_Ese...!_"_

_Who was...who was the voice calling...?_

_"_Eseb...p!_"_

_What... did this voice want?_

_"_Esebu...up!_"_

_Who was this... Esebu...?_

_"_Esebu...ke up!_"_

_Wait... what was the voice saying?_

_"_Esebu! Wake up! We need you!_"_

_Esebu... they needed him? But who...?_

_The last thing he recalled was seeing a figure colliding with the man who was no longer a father. A fist lashed out and then he was gone, sinking into oblivion._

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

"ESEEEBUUUU!"

That was all Fumikiri could say as the struggling _Shinkalion_ finally fell limp. His hands went slack as they slid off the arm holding him. His shoulders sagged and what lights were present on his frame went dark.

"NO!" Miku screeched. Her Aura seethed as she leapt off the edge of the gun emplacement, her kendo sword seething as Akita joined her, his own Aura swirling around his body. He aimed his guns and fired as Miku channeled her Aura into her sword, swinging hard at the closest root and cutting it in half. She was then on the move, firing off a series of slashes at a cluster as they came at her.

Akita's guns barked their fury, sending Dust shells right for the Misertree's face, icing it over with the ice Dust in their tips. For his part, he was as furious as Miku was, his eyes hardening into purple shards of ice. He let out a cry as he slammed his guns together into their rifle mode. His hand flew into his pocket and pulled out a shell with a deep orange tip. He slapped it into the breech and slammed it closed. "EAT THIS!" he roared. A pull of the trigger and then the shell laced with explosive Dust exited the barrel, homing in on the Misertree's iced-over face. The shell struck the icy covering and exploded, sending shrapnel deeper into the Misertree's face and eyes. A screech of pure agony tore itself free from the Kaiju Grimm, and then it faltered, staggering back from the sudden counterattacks.

Seph was furiously unleashing explosive feathers from his wings as they landed around the Grimm and the combatting forces. His eyes flashed silver and he thrust out both hands, summoning a silvery blast of energy that streaked down from the heavens onto the Grimm's top. The leaves that made up its upper head burned, and Dracon lunged in, his Dracon fangs attaching onto his forearms as his beam tonfas ignited. The Gundam's very frame seethed with pure power as the blades of his funnel fangs and beam tonfas merged together, his Psycho Dracon Blades manifesting themselves. The Dragon of Denver dashed upwards, his wings snapping wide open as his fin funnels hovered around him, adding to his imposing appearance as his cloak billowed out behind him, making him seem like a creature from Hell. Then, he dove down with a battle cry, his entire arsenal firing at the Misertree. It looked up, red eyes widening as Dracon drove both his blades into its eyes.

The Blazing Light, Lobomon, didn't even waste a second as he lunged in, his beam sabers flying into his hands and igniting. "_Lobo Kendo!_" Then he was on the move, becoming just a blue and white blur as he slashed and cut at the Misertree's face and lips, trying to cause its mouth to collapse in on itself. Nozoma raced forward, his energy blades springing out from his wrists and he started cutting, trying to make his way to where Esebu was being held while the others kept it at bay. Bugs' shotgun barked from the top of the main gun emplacement, his shotgun shells doing little damage to the Misertree itself, but causing it to flinch nonetheless.

However, the Misertree was not down yet.

The Kaiju Grimm sneered as it finished drawing on more of Esebu's misery.

Then, it roared.

Only for something unexpected to happen...

* * *

**MINDSCAPE**

* * *

_..._

_"Son?"_

_No._

_He wasn't going to bring his optics online._

_Not again._

_Not since..._

_Since... when?_

_His entire memory was fuzzy. Actually, his _whole processor_ was throbbing._

_Slowly, he raised a hand to his head, only to realize that he couldn't. He felt like he was beaten..._

_For some reason, the thought of that sent a surge of fear through his frame and his optics snapped online, flashing brightly and he sat up in a panic with a scream._

_Pain lanced through him and he collapsed back on the bed, his entire frame aching. Esebu groaned as he lay there, trying to ignore the pain of his injuries..._

_Wait. What...?_

_Confusion flooded his mind as he struggled to raise a hand, and he succeeded. He was half expecting to see the dented and battered armor, but much to his surprise and shock, his armor was pristine. No sign of any dents, damages, or gashes from which leaked his vital fluids. His armor was as clean as the day he had first donned the frame._

_"W...What...?" He felt the pain fading from his frame and he could finally sit up. He looked himself over as he did so, but everything was normal. No systems damaged or anything._

_"Tsuranuki?"_

_Esebu tensed at that voice. He slowly turned, half expecting to see his father's enraged face. But instead, he was greeted with the sight of his father, his _real_ father, looking at him with worry in his eyes. He clearly looked concerned for the _Shinkalion_._

_He warily swung his legs over the edge of the bed and watched as the man sat down beside him. "How are you feeling?" he asked, and his voice held no malice. It was as warm and gentle as it had been when he was a mere babe._

_"Like shit..." Esebu muttered. "And for that matter, how do I know you're not going to harm me?" he growled, not even meeting his father's gaze._

_Yuuma scowled. "That was not even real," he said. "That was just a trick pulled by that Kaiju Grimm. You should've known that."_

_"Yeah? Like I could! I couldn't even detect what was fake in that!" Esebu snarled. "How am I supposed to know what is fake and real here?! It just felt so... real..."_

_"That was the sick thing behind the Misertree," Yuuma explained. His words caught Esebu's attention. "The real ability of the Misertree is to make people suffer their worst fears and turn them into fake memories, breaking the victim. That thing was about to break you..." Here his eyes softened, and he glanced at one of his calloused hands. "And I couldn't let that happen... Not after everything you've done..."_

_Esebu felt the fury filling him suddenly vanish, replaced by confusion. "W...What... What do... do you mean?" he asked warily._

_Yuuma looked at the _Shinkalion_. "I mean what I said, Tsuranuki. Not after everything you've done to help so many..."_

_"B-But you told me you didn't want me to become a Huntsman!" Esebu blurted. "You even threatened me into not choosing that career! You said-"_

_"Because I was worried for your safety!" Yuuma exclaimed, cutting the _Shinkalion_ off. "You weren't ready yet! You were still too young to even consider that as a career." The construction worker looked down at his hands nested in his lap. "And I didn't want to lose part of my only remaining family. Not until you were of age, Tsuranuki."_

_Esebu was dumbstruck. This whole time... he had just been worried for his safety?_

_"But... then why didn't...?" His voice trailed off. "Why weren't you honest with me to begin with?" he asked._

_"Because you're stubborn, son," Yuuma admitted. "I knew that eventually you'd want to become a Hunter, so... I had to do what I did in order to protect you." He sighed. "And I regret what I did. I just... I wanted to see you succeed in whatever career you had chosen for yourself. And that included being a Huntsman."_

_The _Shinkalion_ gulped. "But now...?"_

_Here, his father smiled. "Son... when I said I didn't want to lose you after everything you've done to help so many... what I mean is... I'm trying to say that you've made me proud, Tsuranuki. Even if it didn't seem like it, I was supportive of your choice. I just wanted to wait until you were of age before I trained you myself."_

_Esebu was stunned. He hadn't expected this at all._

_"So... you... you're actually _proud_ of me?" he asked, still shocked._

_Yuuma nodded. "Yes. And in more ways than one." A smile crossed his face. "You're no longer a boy, Tsuranuki. You've become a man. A man who has risked his life numerous times to save his city and country. And that... makes me proud of you. You've grown so much..." He sighed sadly. "I just wish I could be there to see you grow even more, son."_

_"But you're here right now!" Esebu blurted, rather stupidly._

_"Maybe... But is it real, or a figment?" Yuuma questioned vaguely._

_Esebu's vocalizer failed him at that as he looked down, unsure of how to answer._

_"Regardless, you've grown up so much, son. And that shows that I was wrong about your chances of being a Hunter," Yuuma continued. "You, and your friends, have shown me that you have been capable all along. And for that... I'm sorry for doing what I did to discourage you from your dreams..."_

_He looked down and clenched his fists. "I hate what I did... And to put you through that..." Yuuma sighed. "I just wish I could've been a better father..."_

_Esebu was speechless. He tried to speak, but the words died in his vocalizer before he could even get them out. He finally looked down at his own hands nested in his lap. "I... I guess I should say I'm sorry as well... for not even considering what you really wanted..." he murmured. "That you were just looking out for me..."_

_Yuuma looked at the _Shinkalion_ as he continued. "I...I was such an idiot for believing you were abusive..." His shoulders shook as he tried to keep in his sobs. "But..."_

_Both were silent as they sat there on the edge of the bed for a moment. It was awkward for the two of them._

_Finally, Yuuma placed a hand on his shoulder. The gesture made Esebu tense and he braced for a blow. But no blows came. Confused, he glanced over to look at his father, and he saw only the look of a man who regretted his actions. "Tsuranuki... I'm so sorry...for everything. And when I say I'm proud of you, I mean it. You... You really have grown up. And that makes me prouder than anything." A smile crossed his face as he said this. "I hope you can forgive me... after all this time... for making such an ass out of myself..."_

_The _Shinkalion_ was silent for a moment before he looked down, his hand reaching up to grasp at his dad's. "Dad... I..." His voice trailed off, but he hoped that his words would get across somehow. While he may have been mad at his dad for doing what he did, he just couldn't stay mad. His father, in spite of everything, had actually supported his dream, and had actually intended on training him himself instead when the time came. He had just done what he did out of concern for his safety, even if it hadn't been the ideal method._

_Esebu looked up, his green optics meeting Yuuma's blue eyes. "I do, dad. I do forgive you," he said. "I'm just glad to hear... hear those words..." His voice cracked at that last part._

_Yuuma smiled before he stood up. Esebu got off the edge of the bed, noticing that his height was just about the same as his father's. Both stared at each other for a moment and then Esebu slowly walked forward, only to feel his dad pull him close in a hug. The _Shinkalion_ flailed for a moment before he settled down and returned it._

_Then they parted. "Now go, son. Your friends need you..."_

_The next thing he knew, everything went white and he felt himself fading from that plane of existence..._

_And back to the realm of the living._

* * *

SANBAN ESTATE

* * *

The last thing any of them expected was to hear the Misertree suddenly screech in fury.

The Kaiju Grimm reached out with its branch-like arm, grasping Dracon by his waist and tearing him off its face, leaving nothing but big, blank eye holes where its red eyes had once been. The Gundam was thrown back hard, and he screamed as he landed on the ground, skidding before coming to a stop, his Psycho Dracon Blades dissipating upon impact with the ground.

He grunted as he forced himself into a kneeling position, his optics flaring as he prepared to charge back in.

Only to halt as his psychoframe pulsed faintly. "The hell...?" He glanced back, and his optics widened in shock as he stared at the supposedly lifeless frame of the blue and white train mecha coming back online. The lights on his frame began to glow, and then his hand twitched.

The Misertree noticed this and screeched, trying to draw on more misery to regenerate itself, only to let out a shriek that made the mechanical beings there mute their audios and the organics to cover their ears with their hands. The group looked up as the Kaiju Grimm began to... Wait... was it... _shrinking?!_

Dracon narrowed his optics in suspicion. Was it possible that the Grimm's victim had regained his senses and somehow overcome the Misertree's abilities?

A clamping sound made Dracon whip his helm back to look at the train robot in its grasp. The mecha's hands were now clamped firmly around the slimy arm that was now starting to wriggle and withdraw from his helm. Those slimy tendrils wriggled and slithered, trying to escape and dive back in for another go. But they couldn't. Not since he was actually _pushing_ the arm away with his strength. His green optics, now visible, were pulsing... and they were _livid_. Dracon could see in them a fierce determination, as well as something else, but he didn't know what it was.

At least until the mecha roared, shoving that slimy arm as far away from him as he could get it. Then he took the chance to snatch up the drill lying beside his feet as he landed and then retreated back, using the treads on either side of his ankles.

He was panting by now as he looked up, his optics burning in fury. "That... does it...!" he rasped. "You... are going down!"

He hefted his drill and pointed it at the Grimm. "And this... is for my father!"

* * *

Esebu was pissed.

No, not just pissed.

He was _enraged_.

_Furious_ would be more like it.

He aimed his drill at the tree and crouched. "Time to turn you into chopsticks!" he growled.

His Aura began to seethe around his frame, but rather than remain tri-colored, the glowing energy flared brightly, turning a brilliant blue color before he began to channel it into his drill. He wasn't sure what was causing this, but he was sure as hell _no_t about to let _this_ slip past him!

The _Shinkalion_ leader gripped his drill and thrust it out in front of him. He revved his treads as he pressed the trigger, and the drill began to spin up. His optics flared brightly as he charged at the Misertree, a battle cry tearing itself free from his vocalizer. He didn't even care anymore about how things turned out in this fight: he just wanted to tear this thing's core out with his bare hands. He wanted to show whoever sent this Grimm that he was not broken, that his father _was_ proud of him, and that he was going to keep fighting to protect what mattered most to him.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" His Aura began to seethe and shimmer, flowing from around his frame and into the drill itself, leaving his normal tri-colored Aura behind. Esebu finally let the torque from his drill pull him forward as he gave a final battle cry.

In his mind's eye, he could see his father, smiling that familiar warm smile from his youth. And he heard his voice as well, urging him on. He drew on that strength, and his drill shimmered a brilliant, blazing blue color.

**"_WHEELSET DRIVER!_"** the _Shinkalion_ roared, his drill finally impacting the Misertree's thick bark and tearing a hole straight through it...

And out the other side.

Esebu watched as drops of the Dark Substance splattered here and there, vanishing as soon as it landed on the ground or trees or whatever.

He landed on his feet, panting heavily as his drill's blue Aura vanished.

Then he collapsed to his hands and knees, his drill disappearing from his grasp as he landed on the torn up forest floor. He found himself staring at his hands before he looked up, spotting his friends coming over. Fumikiri was the first one and he knelt down, scooping up one of Esebu's arms to drape over his shoulder, hauling the exhausted leader to his feet.

"Are you all right?" he asked, worry coloring his tone.

"Y-Yeah... Just... just need a bit of a breather..." Esebu joked, making the ninja _Shinkalion_ hit him upside the head.

Dracon hovered down at that point, his cloak concealing his frame as he came to a stop in front of them. "About time," he remarked. "Your friends were worried about you."

"Yeah, well... let's just say I had some help," Esebu said vaguely. In truth, he didn't even know if it _had_ been his father who rescued him from the Misertree. But if one thing was certain, it was that the memories the thing had transplanted into his head were vanishing, leaving only the real ones behind.

He felt nothing but relief as he let out a sigh through his vents. A sense of ease came over him and he felt his frame go limp in his relief. Akita and Miku bounded over to join him and Fumikiri as Seph flitted down. Bugs leapt off the gun emplacement, along with the Blazing Light. Nozoma also approached, folding his arms over his chest as he gazed at the blue and white leader. He glanced at him critically before he snorted. "Not bad," he said.

Esebu twitched a bit. "And you think you could do better?" he growled.

The white _Shinkalion_ said nothing as he turned. "Next time, leave the fighting to me," he said as he walked off.

"Hey!" Fumikiri almost let go of Esebu to give chase, but Esebu held up a hand weakly.

"No. Drop it," he whispered. "We'll keep fighting even when he doesn't want us to. Because we're the only ones who can..."

The purple and white _Shinkalion_ knew he had a point. There was no point in fighting one another right now. They had a mission to do. And they were going to do it, whether someone wanted them to or not.

* * *

**PROJECT: SHINKALION (FILES UPDATED)**

**FILE 1-X01**

**UNIT: E7 KAGAYAKI**

**HEIGHT: 26.0 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 110 TONS**

**COLORS: BLUE AND WHITE WITH GOLDEN YELLOW LININGS**

**OPTIC COLOR: GREEN**

**WEAPON: WHEELSET DRILL**

**EQUIPMENT: TREADS AND SHOVEL GUARDS**

**DRIVER: TSURANUKI DAIMONYAMA**

**AURA COLORS: BLUE, WHITE, AND GOLD**

**SPECIAL MOVE: WHEELSET DRIVER (DATA ADDED)**

* * *

**FILE 1-X02**

**UNIT: E3 TSUBASA**

**HEIGHT: 26.0 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 95 TONS**

**COLORS: PURPLE AND WHITE WITH REDDISH ORANGE LINES**

**OPTIC COLOR: LIGHT BLUE**

**WEAPON: RAILWAY CROSSING SHURIKEN**

**EQUIPMENT: GRAPPLING LINES, SMOKE BOMBS**

**DRIVER: SHINOBU TSUKIYAMA**

**AURA COLORS: PURPLE, WHITE, AND REDDISH ORANGE**

**SPECIAL MOVE: -LOCKED-**

* * *

**FILE 1-X03**

**UNIT: H5 HAYABUSA**

**HEIGHT: 26.0 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 100 TONS**

**COLORS: GREEN, PURPLE LININGS, AND WHITE**

**OPTIC COLOR: YELLOW ORANGE**

**WEAPON: TURNSTILE SWORD**

**EQUIPMENT: YUBARI HEATING SYSTEM, WINGS**

**DRIVER: MIKU HATSUNE**

**AURA COLORS: GREEN, PURPLE, AND WHITE**

**SPECIAL MOVE: -LOCKED-**

* * *

**FILE 1-X04**

**UNIT: E6 KOMACHI**

**HEIGHT: 25.0 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 95 TONS**

**COLORS: RED AND WHITE WITH SILVER LININGS**

**OPTIC COLOR: YELLOW**

**WEAPON: RAILWAY CROSSING GUNS**

**EQUIPMENT: NAMAHAGE GOGGLES**

**DRIVER: AKITA OGA**

**AURA COLORS: RED, WHITE, AND SILVER**

**SPECIAL MOVE: -LOCKED-**

* * *

**FILE 1-X05**

**UNIT: N700A NOZOMI**

**HEIGHT: 27.5 METERS**

**WEIGHT: 100 TONS**

**COLORS: WHITE WITH BLUE LININGS AND GOLD ACCENTS**

**OPTIC COLOR: SKY BLUE**

**WEAPON: AERO BLADES**

**EQUIPMENT: ADVANCE MODE - LOCKED**

**DRIVER: RYUJI KIYOSU**

**AURA COLORS: LIGHT BLUE, WHITE, AND BLUE**

**SPECIAL MOVE: -LOCKED-**

**CLOSE TERMINAL? Y/N**

**Y-E-S_**

**TERMINAL CLOSING...**


	17. SHASHOT

"Say _what?!_" Tsuranuki's eyes bugged as he staggered back.

Akita's eyes were wide as he stared with his mouth open. "I did _not_ see where _this_ story was headed..." he murmured.

Shinobu was silent, but his eyes too were wide.

Miku on the other hand had a hand to her mouth and her rabbit ears were folded back against her head. "Then... this whole time...?"

Ryuji stood beside the desk of Hokuto as he frowned.

"I see..." Hokuto mused. "That's a real problem."

The cheetah Faunus nodded. "And it has to be addressed," he added.

Hokuto closed his eyes. "I agree. Seeing as how you kids are the only ones who can do this, it makes sense that you'd be targeted when in the pods, seeing as how you're helpless when your souls are inside the _Shinkalions_."

"Then this means we can't continue?" Miku asked. Part of her hoped that that was the case, because then she wouldn't worry her mother when she went out to fight.

Instead, the director shook his head. "No. You'll still continue to fight. But instead, what we're gonna do is install a measure to keep any Grimm from coming in to try and strike you down," he explained.

"That won't be enough," Ryuji said seriously. "It's best you let only one of us fight. The others-" He gestured to the four teens. "-will only be a liability."

But Director Hayasugi shook his head. "No, Ryuji. They stay on. That is my final order."

The Faunus scowled, but relented and stepped back. "But that does bring up another matter. We will have to have a specialized team slated to only defend the pod room if a Grimm strikes at it," Hokuto continued. "And that means we'll have to bring in some outsiders..." His eyes hardened. "Or barring that... bringing him online..."

"_What?!_"

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: SHASHOT_**

_The latest in SDI technology, the SHinkalion ASsistant Humanoid Operations Tactical Unit, or SHASHOT for short, is designed to operate alongside the _Shinkalions_ in combat against the Kaiju Grimm. Unlike the Drivers of the _Shinkalions,_ SHASHOT is unable to fight in the field, instead remaining behind at SDI HQ in a tactical and strategic role alongside the human directors. This is to ensure they have an edge against the Kaiju Grimm if they start to develop intelligence, as well as to have an edge against Satyra's heavy hitters._

_When not in combat, Shashot is capable of inhabiting a small robotic avatar to mingle with the populace outside of SDI Headquarters. Within the walls of the SDI HQ, however, Shashot is able to manifest an avatar in the form of a holographic human male. This is to make it easier to interact with the AI when not engaged in battle. Shashot is still a young AI, so there is much it - or rather, he - has to learn about life and humanity as a whole._

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to artificial intelligence, many people have always feared the fact that such an entity could deem humanity obsolete and conduct an extermination campaign, such as the AI found in the _Terminator_ franchise when it struggled to wipe out humankind. But then again, there are those who have optimistic views of artificial intelligence, and see it as a possible ally in fights against dangerous adversaries." The figure narrowed their eyes as they leaned in, their glasses glinting. A male's body could now be seen in the dim light of the monitors.

He waved a hand and a monitor lit up, showing humanoid robots attacking humans as they fled. "But what will an AI truly do when they gain sentience? Will they be bound to their directive? Will they start to learn? And if so... then what? Even now, in our world, there is still a fear of an artificial intelligence takeover. But why? Because we fear the unknown. We fear what we don't know, and that in itself is something we need to learn to deal with. To adapt and venture into the unknown." The figure waved his hand again and the monitor went dark.

"Those who do venture into the unknown... they are pioneers. Pioneers who change the world for the better. No matter what field you are in, if you are pioneering something new and learning about it, don't be afraid to share your progress with others. That could lead to newer ideas, new bonds forged, and even...possibly, a society where man and machine can live in harmony."

The figure smiled. "So what will you seek out?"

* * *

**CHAPTER XVI - SHASHOT**

The team was floored. "You gotta be kidding me!" Tsuranuki shouted. "You actually developed something like that?!"

Hokuto nodded. "Yes." Here his eyes hardened. "We did."

"Hold on. You mean to tell me that you developed a real, working artificial intelligence?" Akita narrowed his eyes. "Pardon me for saying this bluntly, but that is just crazy and downright dangerous! Do you know what could possibly happen?!"

The director sighed. "I do... but to be honest, are the Kaiju Grimm any different? We know so little about them and some people fear they could become intelligent as well. Much like Kaiju Mobians are intelligent."

"They are two different things though," Miku pointed out. "Kaiju Mobians are Mobians whose very physiology was affected by the radiation emitted from the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. They are just like any other Mobian otherwise. Kaiju _Grimm_ on the other hand, are completely separate entities in that they are made up of the Dark Substance and whatever other stuff they are fused with or based off of. They lack souls, intelligence, and therefore life."

"True," Hokuto admitted, "but some people are fearful the Kaiju Grimm could evolve to become intelligent. We're just preparing for that day."

"By making a freakin' _AI?!_" Tsuranuki snapped. "That is as close to suicidal as you can get! We _don't **know** what will happen!_"

"I know that!" Hokuto shouted, quieting the five Drivers before they erupted into shouts. "I know that, dammit! This _is_ dangerous, but it could also be our best bet if any of the Kaiju Grimm were to become intelligent! We need that edge. And we need it soon. Who knows when the next Kaiju Grimm could become intelligent...?"

His voice trailed off, leaving the kids and Ryuji to consider the implications.

And none of them were good ones.

Tsuranuki pursed his lips as he sighed. "Well, you do bring up a good point..." he mused.

The team was not too keen on having to deal with this just a mere three days after the Misertree attack. Following the attack, Bugs Bunny and Lola had returned to America, but the Blazing Light had remained behind to explore Japan a bit more, on account of him being a tourist and a newcomer. The Dragon of Denver left as well, flying back to whatever place he called his roost, and Seph had retreated back to Tokyo Station for some recouperation after that battle. And Team Shinkalion needed to go over the recently unveiled risk as well.

But it was all necessary to try and keep them safe during their missions, Hokuto told them. All in all, the kids weren't too thrilled about possibly becoming Grimm food, but then again, the SDI needed them and so did Japan. So the director put out a call to the commander of the SDI after the battle and he was still waiting for a reply from them. When the kids asked about the contents of the call, all Director Hayasugi said was that it was a matter of their safety.

His eyes were hard as he faced the kids. "That I do, Tsuranuki," Hokuto said grimly. "So, what will happen is you all will be trained alongside the new AI as soon as it comes online. This way, we can gauge what needs to be improved or worked out to make it more efficient as a team member and a tactical expert."

Now Akita's eyes went wide. "Hold on. You mean you developed a _battle_ AI?!" he blurted.

Hokuto shook his head as he leaned forward a bit, his hands tented in front of his mouth. "No. Not a battle AI. A command AI, so to speak. It was designed to oversee and work alongside the combat operations director by offering suggestions or even coming up with tactical plans when the human component fails. It's meant to work as an ally, not a superior intellect," he explained. "The reasoning was that we would one day need someone to offer tactical and strategic advise when we could not. And that led to the AI being created."

Shinobu wasn't too thrilled about one day working alongside an artificial intelligence, but he did see the director's point. They did need all the help they could get. He shifted in his seat. "What is the AI called?" he asked. Best to ask before it slipped his mind.

Hokuto smiled. "The SHinkalion ASsistant Humanoid Operations Tactical Unit. Or SHASHOT Unit for short," he said.

"Shashot..." Shinobu muttered the name, his eyes narrowed. Then he perked up. "The name... it's a play on _shashō_. Which means 'conductor.' And since we can become _shinkansen_ mecha..."

The director gave a wry smirk. "Good catch, Shinobu. That is the other part of the reason we named it that."

Akita frowned. "So you circumvented _Tamiko's Folly_," he remarked.

The others all looked at him in shock, then back at the director.

"You could say that..." Hokuto admitted. "But it's not a true AI in the sense of the word. It has the ability to learn and adapt, yes, but... we hope to make it as human as possible so the law won't apply to it."

Tsuranuki knew of what _Tamiko's Folly_ was. It was the set of rules that had been written down after the last artificial intelligence to have been developed went on a rampage and almost wiped out the city where it had been made. The scientist who developed it, Tamiko Kita, had been wounded in the attack and the United Nations, in the aftermath, had condemned her publicly and exiled her to a remote island where she had died in infamy. The subsequent consensus following the scientist's exile had agreed that any artificial intelligence had to have some kind of remote shutdown function, or barring that, a self-destruct sequence. The rules also stated that any AI had to meet certain requirements to be even considered for military use, like being unable to fully think for itself and to be fed certain data as the mission required. This was to prevent any attempted overthrow of the world's population.

Of course, there were those who insisted that the AI Tamiko had developed was flawed. But no one had the evidence to prove that.

But to actually develop an AI that went against the laws written after that day in 1962?!

That was downright crazy.

And he was not _that_ crazy to work with something as untested as an AI.

"Look. I get where you're going with this, Director Hayasugi. I really do," Tsuranuki said. "But... frankly, I just... feel uncomfortable working alongside an AI that we have no idea on yet. So... I'm sorry to say this, but... even if it does come online, we're going to be doing things on our own." Here he gestured to his friends, save for Ryuji. "I'm sorry, sir."

The director sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand. "I understand, Tsuranuki. But... at least keep an open mind to this. We're going to bring it online soon though. Just so you kids are aware."

The four kids nodded, still feeling uncomfortable about the whole thing.

As soon as they filed out of the room, Ryuji glanced back at him. "I'm in agreement with them. I don't like it, either," he said. "So keep this in mind. We'll be doing things on our own, despite that AI's recommendations for victory."

Hokuto frowned as the cheetah Faunus exited the office as well.

The whole project, despite moving along, was still lagging in several respects, the biggest one being trust.

Without trust, the whole program was in jeopardy. Whether they knew it or not.

* * *

**MARUNOUCHI SQUARE**

* * *

Tsuranuki growled as he slumped back against a bench just outside the Marunouchi Building. "Can't believe he had the audacity to go against _Tamiko's Folly!_" he grumbled.

"You're not the only ones who feel that way," Miku snorted. "The whole idea... is just asking for trouble."

"And it doesn't help matters that the AI she developed nearly wiped out the city using a nuclear missile..." Shinobu added.

Akita said nothing as he fingered his guns. "You think we should just quit?"

"_What?!_" the other three glanced at him like he was nuts.

"Are you _serious?!_" Tsuranuki cried. "Just up and quit?! We're the only ones who can do this!"

"But... would it be worth being killed by an out of control AI?" the purple-haired boy shot back.

The brown-haired youth paused, being caught off guard by the question. He looked down, unsure of how to answer.

"Thought so," Akita remarked. "It's not worth it for me to risk being killed by an AI that could go on a rampage."

"We don't know what will actually happen," Shinobu pointed out. He looked up from where he sat on the ground. "It is a risk, but if you think about it, Akita, programming and computer technology, not to mention the study of the human brain, has come a long way from 1962. The technology is much better, the programming is much more advanced, and we know more about how the human brain works. So... it actually may _not_ go on a rampage."

"The chances of that happening are close to nil!" Akita shot back.

"But he does have a point," Miku interjected. "Things have come far since that day. So we'll keep an eye on it. If the AI _does_ go on a rampage or even threaten to, we'll leave. Until then... we stay on."

Akita pursed his lips as he considered his friends' arguments. They did have a point... as in they were the only ones who could drive the _Shinkalions_ and that technology was a lot better than in the '60s. He finally huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine. That's a compromise I can live with."

The threesome smiled. "Thanks, Akita," Tsuranuki said.

The youth smiled back and then they leaned back against the benches and trees, observing the people coming and going from the construction site.

"Man... It's still hard to believe that this is even happening..." Tsuranuki mused, looking at the workers. "That... well..."

"The Kaiju Grimm?" Miku asked.

The boy nodded.

"Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later," Miku replied. She shifted her position and her rabbit ears twitched before tilting to the sides. "My father was one of those who got killed during an attack..."

"Like Hayato's mother did..." Shinobu mused. "I wonder how he's doing..."

Here the kids all looked at one another guiltily. They hadn't had much time to spend with Hayato since that day they rescued him. So... would they be allowed to at this point? There wasn't any training scheduled, and there hadn't been an alert of a Kaiju Grimm for the last three days, so... maybe a quick stop by the Hayasugi apartment wouldn't be such a bad idea, right?

The kids all got to their feet and bolted for the complex of apartments not too far from the station itself.

The building was actually very well built, as it had weathered the attack by Mothra with ease, and the only signs of damage had been broken windows and a few gouges in its façade that had been quickly repaired. The Hayasugi apartment was on the fourth floor, and they knew exactly where it was, having been there numerous times prior to the development of Project SKL.

Tsuranuki was the first to knock on the door as the foursome gathered outside the doorway.

Footsteps came to the door and a small peephole opened. Tsuranuki peered in and he closed one eye, sticking out his tongue in a goofy grin.

A cry came from inside and the door was unlocked. The person in the apartment threw open the door and the four kids dogpiled their best friend. Hayato laughed alongside the others as they all landed in a pile on the floor of the apartment. They stayed like that for a while before Hayato struggled to get up. The others slid off their friend and all of them pushed themselves to their feet.

"Man... You don't know how glad I am to see you guys!" Hayato remarked as he stood up. "It's been months since we last got together!"

"Yeah. And those Kaiju Grimm haven't been making things easier," Akita said. "Whenever the K-Alert's gone off, we've been forced to take shelter. And well, whenever we've made plans to see you, our families have been insistent we perform drills. Sorry." He looked a bit ashamed to even be saying this, but thankfully Hayato took it in stride, not even suspecting that it was a lie. In truth, it _was_ a lie, but a rather convincing one, since the Kaiju Grimm attacks had been happening more frequently.

Hayato looked at his friends and sighed. "Yeah. Same thing with me..." he muttered. Then he brightened. "But it's good to see you regardless!"

"Yeah." Tsuranuki gave a grin. "We managed to convince our parents that we needed some time to see you, so they agreed. As long as we stayed safe, of course."

The cat Faunus youth laughed as he draped an arm around him. "Especially seeing as how you've been lonely for the last several months without us!" the boy joked, ruffling Hayato's hair.

Everyone broke into laughter at that.

For Hayato, it was so good to see his best friends again. It _had_ been lonely around the apartment for the last several months, what with his father usually coming home late (at least he was coming home for dinner at a reasonable time now) and his sister spending time with a friend of her own as of late. All he could really do was read, watch stuff on TV or try and make plans for one day traveling on the _shinkansen_ with his father. And he hated to admit it, but he was _bored_ out of his mind.

The kids proceeded to make their way into the main living room where Hayato usually spent a good majority of his time after school and on the weekends.

"So, what _have_ you guys been up to?" Hayato asked his friends.

At this, the foursome tensed. In all honesty, none of them had thought to even come up with a cover story to explain their unexcused absences to Hayato. And there was no way in hell any of them were going to put their friend in danger... at least knowingly. Just being around him at this point was also putting him in harm's way. But they still would fight to keep him safe, no matter the cost.

Miku finally took in a breath and answered. "Besides the drills with our families?" she asked.

The cat Faunus nodded.

"We've been trying to train and get stronger," Akita answered, surprising the team, as well as Hayato. "We may not have Semblances like other Hunters, but we sure as hell don't want to be trounced like we were last time against that woman." His eyes hardened into amethysts as he looked Hayato in the eyes. "And that is something we don't want to have happen again. Especially if she's going to make another move for you."

Hayato froze at that, growing pale as he felt the blood drain out of his face. "S-She's going to... try again?!" he squeaked.

Tsuranuki sensed his friend's distress and grabbed him in a playful headlock, ruffling his hair with one hand. "Hey! We won't let 'er!" he said with a grin. "Not since we learned a few new tricks!"

And that was not far off, either.

Hayato glanced to his friends and looked them over. He could now see that Tsuranuki, Akita, and Shinobu were bearing the changes of increased muscle mass and a look at Miku showed some toning to her own shoulders and arms. She also looked to be a bit curvier, not that he was interested in that yet. And all four seemed to carry themselves differently. Like they had seen battle... and come out of it stronger and wiser. Had they been in actual combat already? Or was it just because of the training they were going through?

Tsuranuki finally let go of Hayato and backed up. "So, you wanna go for a walk around town?" he asked.

"Not if that woman is out there..." the cat Faunus whispered.

"Hey. I just said. She will have to fight us to get to you!" Tsuranuki remarked, flicking one of his ears with a finger. Hayato flinched, but managed a grin.

"If you say so," he replied, but deep down he was nervous, and the four could sense it.

Shinobu pursed his lips as he wracked his brain for an idea on how to cheer Hayato up. He knew that his friend still enjoyed the _shinkansen_, so... An idea bloomed at that point in his mind. Maybe he could explain a bit about the project... as well as give a hint as to what they had been _really_ doing, without spilling the beans.

"Hayato, do you remember your father mentioning a project?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. He just said it was for Japan's defense. Why?" Hayato wondered.

"Well, we found out what it is," the ninja said.

"Huh?!" All four of his friends gaped in response, but three of them were downright horrified. Was he going to spill their biggest secret?!

"Wait... does it have to do with those aliens?" Hayato asked, his eyes widening. "Those robots?"

Shinobu nodded. "Yep." The ninja was not that surprised, as word had been spreading rather quickly in the news about their alter egos. And with their latest victory at the Sanban Estate against the Misertree, the news had exploded rapidly. Newspapers and news stations on both the SkyWeb and TV networks were clamoring to try and find these alien robots to interview them.

Akita finally seemed to grasp what the kid was saying and smirked. "We think your father has formed an alliance with them," he said.

The cat Faunus whirled around to face the other boy. "What?!" He was surprised. "Y-You gotta be kidding me, Akita!"

The purple-haired boy shook his head. "I'm not kidding, Hayato. He made an alliance with those alien robots and has helped them set up a secret base somewhere in the city. They have agreed to assist Japan in defense against the Kaiju Grimm in exchange for a place to call home," he explained. "Of course, due to how many would kill to get their hands on this, they have to remain hidden... so they've taken the guise of _shinkansen_ in order to remain unnoticed by any potential enemies."

That was all they could say about the matter. They couldn't reveal anything more, lest the truth be found out.

"So _that's_ what he was working on all this time...!" Hayato whispered, shock flooding his features. "No wonder he didn't tell me..."

Miku nodded. "It was to protect you, and all of us as well. We only found out by pure accident when we saw him talking to one of them."

The rabbit Faunus hated lying to her friend, but what other choice did they have right now? The truth would come out sooner or later, and they knew it. But right now they had to keep Hayato in the dark lest Satyra seek to find the truth as well.

Regardless, the foursome were just relieved to have told Hayato something that was true: his father's project _was_ for the defense of Japan. Just not in the way he had thought.

However, no one expected what was to come later on...

* * *

**SAMMAEL'S CASTLE**

**DARKLANDS**

* * *

Sammael sat in his throne room, his hand cupped against his cheek as he leaned against the side of his throne. His red eyes were closed as he pondered what next move to make against the _Shinkalions_. He had a few new ideas for Kaiju Grimm, but so far the team had always managed to pull through.

At least until recently with the Misertree. A quick check of its memories had revealed an interesting tidbit: they weren't as effective a team as he had thought. So now he sat, trying to think up a new Grimm to exploit this weakness.

Until the door opened, anyway.

The Fallen opened his eyes, but didn't look back as massive metallic footsteps entered the vast chamber. "Ah. I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. What brings you to my chambers?" he asked.

The massive Gundam rumbled as he joined Sammael on the other side of the throne as it faced the windows showing the Darklands. "Trying to study our enemy, are we?" the Gundam asked.

"Yes. But unfortunately, I have yet to come up with a plan to test them... especially seeing as how they have a weakness," Sammael mused.

"They don't trust each other, do they?" I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. asked.

"As always, observant and sharp," Sammael smirked as he looked to his companion. "I assume you were observing through your drones?"

"When am I not?" the huge Gundam/Fallen muttered. "But I have a favor to ask."

"What is it, then?" Sammael asked as he stood up and walked to join the Gundam. "I don't just grant favors, as you are well aware."

"Yes." The Fallen-hybrid looked to the man beside him, green optics flashing red for a moment. "But I ask this favor because I have a new Grimm in mind... one that could be used to exploit their distrust of one another."

"Hm?" Sammael cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of Grimm?"

The Devil Gundam waved a hand and a screen appeared in front of Sammael. The Fallen's red eyes widened as he looked to the mecha. "Well..." A smirk crossed his lips. "This should prove to be interesting. And how many do you require?"

"Five is sufficient," I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. explained. "Also, would it be prudent to generate a smokescreen Grimm, perhaps?"

"Say no more, my friend," Sammael grinned. "I have just the Grimm in mind for the task. And, may I ask how these new Grimm will play a role in their distrust of one another?"

The Gundam's optics flashed bright red and a chuckle escaped his vocalizer. "Oh, you'll see soon, Sammael. You'll see soon indeed..."

* * *

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

**MARUNOUCHI CAFE**

* * *

For Hayato, to just spend time with his friends was well worth the risk of going out again.

The five kids were currently hanging out in the Marunouchi Café, which had recently been reopened following the Mothra attack almost a year ago. The entire building was still undergoing renovations, but the majority of the first floor had been completed and the remaining floors were to be reopened as time went on. The cafe's reopening also allowed the workers to take breaks and have a quick bite to eat or something to drink before they resumed their shifts.

Right now, however, it was close to as quiet as it could get, but a few workers did linger near the middle of the shop. The kids sat more towards the front of the café, just so they could make a quick getaway in case the K-Alert went off.

Hayato broke out into laughter at one of Tsuranuki's jokes, something he had missed doing. The boy always managed to make him laugh somehow.

Akita finally took a sip of his drink before he spoke. "All right, Tsuranuki. I think that's enough of the jokes," he remarked with a shake of his head, though a smile graced his lips as he said this.

Tsuranuki rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before he nodded. "Yeah. Besides, we're here to spend time with Hayato anyway. No good making him tired of my jokes, now, right?"

The other kids broke into laughter briefly. "So, how's it going with kendo, Miku?" Hayato asked.

"The kendo studio I go to is supposed to reopen in a few weeks," the rabbit Faunus said with a grin. "Its renovations are complete as of this moment."

"Just a matter of getting things moved back in?" Hayato joked.

Miku smiled. "Yes," she replied with a nod.

"And how about you, Shinobu? Your parents still insistent on training?" Hayato asked the ninja.

Shinobu took a bite of his donut and nodded. "We have one such session scheduled for today later this afternoon, actually. Given the status of how things are now, it's best to be prepared." He fingered one of his kunai knives a bit before stuffing it back in its storage case. "Especially given the Kaiju Grimm."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the shop at those words. Hayato looked down at his hands clasped around his own drink. He gazed into the contents of the mug, seeing his own eyes filled with worry for the safety of those who fought... and his own fear. He felt a bit unsettled by the fact that ever since Satyra had made their base of ops in Tokyo operational, he had been targeted for recruitment. And so far he wasn't being hunted down, but that did little to ease his worry. In fact, it seemed to make it worse. He was now paranoid, unsure if any Faunus he met was actually a recruiter or member. In fact, the only real Faunus he could trust were Miku, his father, and his own sister, he felt. He just wasn't sure about any others now...

Tsuranuki saw the gaze in his friend's eyes and he frowned to himself. Something had to be done and soon, or else he wouldn't be able to get over his fear. He pursed his lips as he folded his arms and looked down at the ground beneath his feet. '_Man... just how are we gonna help Hayato...?_' he thought. '_It seems like that woman had more of an impact than we realized..._' His teeth gritted as he clenched his hands on his arms. '_And Mr. Jones didn't help, either. It seems like they're after something else besides just the knowledge Hayato possesses... But what?_'

"Thankfully there hasn't been a K-Alert for a few days now," Miku said, trying to bring up a more lighthearted subject.

The others nodded. "So, you guys up for seeing a movie later this week, if we're all available?" Tsuranuki asked, surprising the others.

"Hey, isn't there supposed to be a new _Gundrazer_ film coming out this month?" Shinobu asked.

Hayato's eyes went wide. "Oh, crud... I forgot all about that!" He slapped his forehead with a hand. "I'm such an idiot!"

"Well, this one is supposed to involve a mecha that can become a _shinkansen_," Akita said, surprising even himself. He shot a hurried look to Miku who nodded once before she slipped out her phone and started looking up the name of the movie on the SkyWeb.

Hayato on the other hand practically _squealed_ with delight. "You gotta be kidding me!" he blurted.

"Geez! Calm down, will ya? You're starting to attract attention!" Tsuranuki remarked with a slight grin.

The cat Faunus looked at the workers close by and his face flushed a nice shade of red before he looked back down at his drink. "Sorry..." he muttered.

Akita meanwhile looked to Miku who shifted and showed her phone to the other boy. He narrowed his eyes as he took it and examined the mecha shown in the title. It did bear a slight resemblance to their frames, but only in the chest. It looked like it was only the first engine of the _shinkansen_, which made it smaller than their frames' full height. And on top of that, the helmet was much more ornate and covered the entire head, while underneath it possessed a full face.

He sighed in mild relief before he turned to Hayato.

"Anyway, the film is set to come out at the end of the month, so if you're free, we can go see it together. Like old times," Akita said.

The cat Faunus smiled. "Yeah. It's been ages since we did anything like that together."

Tsuranuki smiled a bit to himself as well, surprisingly feeling a bit nostalgic for the days when he was just a normal boy. His eyes widened at the thought. Had combat and his time as a _Shinkalion_ already changed him that much? In just a few short months, to boot? He shook his head. No. He had other things to worry about. Such as trying to make sure that no more Kaiju Grimm showed up or that Satyra failed to get his friend.

"What's the movie called, anyway?" Shinobu asked.

Miku checked her phone (again) and showed them the title. "It is called _Gundrazer: Rise of Light_," she said. "It is supposed to be about a young man who discovers that the Dark Substance is alive and seeks to call upon the might of _Gundrazer_ to save the city."

"I am so in to see it!" Hayato exclaimed.

"Hey. We all are," Tsuranuki reminded him with a laugh. "But right now, let's just chill and hang out, huh?"

The cat Faunus nodded as they resumed their idle chitchat, unaware of what was to come later on down the line...

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**COMMAND CENTER**

* * *

To Hokuto, the final pieces were in place.

They had five of the six candidates.

They had the AI programmed and ready.

They had the second stage ready to be implemented after the final candidate was brought aboard.

Now all they needed was the last candidate.

He shifted a bit as he looked at the command center staff personally selected by the head of the organization, Subaru Azuma himself. His immediate superior, Shinpei Izumi, was also present for this. He cast his gaze over at the other man, taking note of his serious face and his crossed arms. The cat Faunus was half expecting his project to go awry, but also some part of him had anticipated the problem that arose a few days ago, just hours after the Misertree had been taken down. So now all he could do was watch and wait to see what happened.

Izumi looked to the director of Project SKL and gave a curt nod. "Start it up."

He nodded and turned to a technician close by. "Begin startup sequence."

The man nodded and pressed a few keys before a low hum was heard throughout the room, computers flickering as slowly coding began to stream across the main command monitor in one corner. The coding began to coalesce and shift, taking on a humanoid shape, and then features began to form: a male face, with sharp green eyes and a shock of thick, messy black hair. The skin tone was tanned, and on the head was a conductor's cap, while the clothing was a uniform, much like what they wore when in the SDI Headquarters. The eyes were half open and half closed, with a sort of glazed look in them before they brightened and opened fully. The eyes flicked around, and curiosity colored those virtual features before seeming to become more focused and clear. The avatar opened its mouth, and then a deep, male voice issued from the speakers in the room. "_Greetings. I am the SHinkalion ASsistant Humanoid Operations Tactical Unit, but you may refer to me as Shashot,_" the voice said.

Izumi glanced to the AI and spoke. "It is a pleasure to have you with us, Shashot," he said. "I assume you know much of what you are and designed to do?"

"_It was programmed into my memory banks by Director Hayasugi, sir,_" the AI replied. "_And I am also fully aware of the risks involving my creation due to_ Tamiko's Folly."

"I see. Then you realize that should you ever go rogue, you will be shut down," Izumi noted.

The avatar nodded. "_Yes. But... Director Hayasugi has a theory as to why all my predecessor AIs went on rampages._"

Now that threw Commander Izumi for a loop. He looked to Hokuto who shifted nervously.

"_However, until more data has been compiled, he has instructed me to not reveal this theory to anyone,_" Shashot continued. "_I hope you can forgive him for withholding something like this._"

The man didn't even bat an eye. He merely nodded once. "If he can confirm his theory, then I expect it to be presented to the CIC when he gets the chance," he said, looking at the cat Faunus directly, despite addressing Shashot instead.

Hokuto gulped and nodded. "_Hai!_" he said.

Izumi smirked. "Looks like your project is paying off," he noted.

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yes. But right now, we're still down one candidate. So it's not fully complete," he admitted.

"No, but it is almost complete. So, to me, that shows your plan has potential," Izumi stated. He perked up as his phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. A frown crossed his face before he turned and looked to the team assembled in the room. "I expect all of you to do your best regarding any subsequent Kaiju attacks. And I expect this team to become a formidable force to be reckoned with. Together, we will show the Fallen why we shouldn't be messed with. That is all."

The assembled personnel all saluted sharply. "Yes, sir!"

Not even a minute later, the alarm began to blare.

The klaxon began to wail as red battle lights began flashing, signifying the alert of a Kaiju Grimm.

"Oh, shit... Not now!" Hokuto blurted as he bolted for one of the consoles and took a seat. He patched into Futaba's console outside the command center. "What are we looking at?" he asked.

"_It's bad, sir! We got a serious Grimm coming in! It's a Kaiju type, class is Mega,_" she said. "_It's got properties consistent with a smokescreen, and it's engulfing the entire area surrounding Tokyo Bay Bridge! We got people trapped there and no signals can get in or out, save for communications signals, and even then they're badly garbled._"

"Dammit...!" the director swore.

Izumi was silent as he observed the director's actions. How he handled this would prove if the project was going to be viable after all...

* * *

**MARUNOUCHI BUILDING**

* * *

Hayato looked at his friends just as their phones rang.

"Guys?"

Miku looked at her phone before a frown appeared on her face. Then she looked Hayato in the eyes directly. "I'm really sorry," she murmured. "Our parents just called. They want us home."

At those words, the K-Alert began to blare, a klaxon wailing in the distance. On the wall above the main entrance, an electronic sign depicting the image of Komozilla on it flashed on and a female voice began to speak over the speakers as the music shut down.

"_Attention all residents of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures. A Kaiju Alert has just been issued for the surrounding area near Tokyo Bay Bridge. All roads will be diverting traffic to the detours recommended on your phones and tablets. Attention all residents of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures..._"

"Dammit... and just when we were having fun..." Hayato moped.

Tsuranuki walked over and patted the Faunus's shoulder. "Hey. Be glad we even got this chance," he said with a smile. "And once this is over, we can go see that movie. Sound good?"

The cat Faunus looked his human friend in the eyes, and seeing that familiar glint he knew all too well, managed a smile back. "Heh. Yeah. See you."

The four kids broke out into a run, vanishing out the door as whatever patrons frequented the café began to stand and file for the entrance to the local Kaiju shelter.

Once Hayato was safely out of the building, Tsuranuki and his friends burst back in through the main entrance, running past the lobby and down to the elevator shafts that were still undergoing renovations. The four grabbed onto the cables and slid down them, reaching the basement and ducking into the room leading to the SDI HQ. They managed to reach the main office where Futaba and Director Hayasugi were waiting for them. Ryuji was already there, his arms folded across his chest.

"Hey! How long did it take you to get here?!" Tsuranuki blurted, jabbing a finger at him.

The cheetah Faunus huffed. "My mom's apartment isn't that far off," he muttered.

The boy glared, but said nothing as the five took their seats.

Director Hayasugi looked at the team with a serious expression on his face. "Good timing. I wasn't sure if the alert would reach your phones," he said.

"Forget it," Ryuji said, cutting off Tsuranuki as he had been about to speak. "Where do you want me?"

"It's not where I want just you, Ryuji. It's where I want _all_ of you," Hokuto clarified. "We just got word of a new Kaiju attack. This time it's on Tokyo Bay Bridge. A smoke Kaiju Grimm. It's got the entire area covered in thick fog, and it's jamming all communications, save for radio, although that is badly garbled from the jamming properties. So when you guys go, you'll need to be extra careful."

Tsuranuki finally got up. "So we just gotta blow it away. No problem!" he said, slamming his fist into his open palm.

"It won't be that easy, Tsuranuki," Hokuto remarked. "This thing is immune to wind. It can stay in one space and not even drift away."

But the boy snorted. "Then we'll find a way. It'll be like that Coal Walker. We just find its core and blow it up."

Hokuto had to admit, the youth did have a point. He nodded. "Right. Get down to the pod room and Link Up. You're moving out now."

"_Hai!_" the kids said as one.

* * *

It didn't take them long to reach the pod room. Tsuranuki was the first one to get in his pod as Futaba's voice resonated in the speakers. "_Okay. The Grimm we've code-named Mistery because no one knows what it really looks like. The smoke always conceals its true form from our sensors and sight. So be extra careful when facing it,_" she cautioned.

"We will," Akita said as he put his helmet on.

"_Also, as an added bit of information, we've brought the AI online,_" she added.

Akita's eyes went wide and he paused, unsure if he should get out or not. But remembering his promise to the others, he stayed. He only nodded curtly, trying to keep his distrust hidden. "Very well..." he muttered.

Shinobu frowned at Akita's reaction, which made him wonder if he had had a bad experience with such an AI once before. It did seem to be the case, from what he was getting. Or maybe he had had a family member who was killed during a rogue AI rampage? If so, then maybe he wasn't talking about it for a good reason.

Regardless, he shoved those thoughts aside as he donned his helmet and leaned back in his pod as the cover hissed shut.

Miku's voice echoed over the COMM system at that moment. "_What else can you tell us about the Mistery, ma'am?_" she asked.

"_The Mistery is capable of jamming satellite transmissions, so we're not risking firing a capture field this time. So you'll have to fight on the bridge itself,_" the acting director replied.

"_Sounds easy to me,_" Ryuji remarked.

"_Oi! Don't dis us because we're younger than you!_" Tsuranuki growled over the comm.

"_Enough, you two! The Link is started. You know what to do, guys. And be careful._" With that, Futaba cut the line and the team focused on the tendrils linking them to their units. Tsuranuki let his mind drift free and then he was tugged by that tendril, his soul speeding down the tunnel of oblivion.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**COMMAND CENTER**

* * *

Shashot observed the _Shinkalions_ as they came online within the launch bay, taking them in with calculating green eyes.

He had been programmed with the vocal registrations of their vocalizers and the expressions that the different tones conveyed. He had also been programmed with the data on their human forms, complete with facial expressions. So it wasn't too much of a surprise for him to deduce that the red and white _Shinkalion_, Matagi, his database informed him, didn't trust him that much. But it also made him a bit... He knew there was a word for it, but it didn't exist in his memory banks at that time.

He was still too new and young to fully grasp the emotions of _hurt_ and _betrayal_.

His databanks flickered, sending him data on the other four as well. The leader, Esebu, was clearly revving his engine and he shifted back and forth on his wheels a bit, as if anticipating a strike from a Kaiju Grimm.

Then he heard Futaba's voice. "_Okay, you guys. Be careful and good luck. Shashot will be communicating with you during the fight once you get there. I will be here if you need extra support._"

"_Hai!_" the _Shinkalions_ said as one.

The tunnel doors opened and one by one they released their brakes.

"Esebu, E7 Kagayaki..."

"Fumikiri, E3 Tsubasa..."

"Haifu, H5 Hayabusa..."

"Matagi, E6 Komachi..."

"Nozoma, N700A..."

"_Shuppatsu shinkō!_" the five declared.

The five trains exited the station and the doors hissed shut behind them. Shashot steeled himself for the coming fight. His first mission... and already he was scared of its potential outcome.

* * *

**TOKYO BAY RAINBOW BRIDGE BATTLE SPACE**

* * *

The trip there wasn't as bad as it could've been. In fact, compared to how long it would take by car or bike, it was much faster to travel as a _Shinkalion_ via the aptly named Rails of Light.

Personally, Esebu wished it could have a better name, like Hyper Rail or something.

Still, despite the lame name, the trip didn't take long. It only came to a halt when they saw the fog was encompassing the entire bridge structure and even above and below it. Esebu was the first to exit the rail and transform into his humanoid form. "_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_" Once his metal feet touched the ground, he waited for the others to do the same thing. They swiftly joined him and the five of them began to make their way into the thick fog surrounding the bridge. Inside his sensors could already pick up people trapped inside their cars and other vehicles, and he felt worry for them surging through his systems. All they could do now was hope for some sort of victory... so these people could go home and be with their loved ones.

He clenched his fists.

"C'mon..." he muttered. "Let's go..."

And together they ventured deep into the mist to face the unknown.


	18. TRUST

"C'mon..." Esebu muttered. "Let's go..."

And together they ventured deep into the mist to face the unknown.

At once Esebu's communications systems started to malfunction. He couldn't get a reading from satellites, least of all TV signals or even wireless signals. Only his radar was working, and even then it was just barely. A low growl escaped his vocalizer at this. That meant they had to rely on their optics and hearing, not their radar systems.

Esebu clenched his fists as he looked around, optics straining to pierce the thick fog, smog, smoke, whatever it was. It was thick, sure, but not entirely black like with the Coal Walker. In fact, it was more like a dim grey, almost like the aftermath of an apocalyptic event. The mere thought made his frame shudder, armor plates rattling against one another.

"Esebu? You okay?" Haifu called from behind him.

"Yeah... Just can't get over how eerie this is," he remarked. "It's too much like an apocalypse..."

Matagi's snort came from right beside him, and the lead _Shinkalion_ almost jumped out of his armor. "Hardly. Otherwise there would be more damage and stuff."

Esebu took in a shaky breath to calm his racing engine. "I know. I'm just saying it _looks_ like it," he remarked.

The red and white _Shinkalion_ nodded. "Okay."

The group continued on, unaware of the red optics flashing once in the mist...

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: _****_TOKYO TOWER_**

_An iconic landmark, Tokyo Tower has been around for over fifty years. Initially developed as a communications and radio tower, it has since evolved into a more modern hub for communications and broadcasting within the city of Tokyo and its prefectures. The tower is painted a distinct international orange and white to comply with air safety regulations, and its colors have become part of that iconic look. The Tower has also served as a means for amplifying communications signals put out by Tokyo SDI Headquarters during missions. The Tower has also become a hotbed for several related Kaiju Grimm attacks._

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Icons are just as important as landmarks for status and symbolism. Like the Emperor's Sword." The man shifted in his seat, tenting his fingers. "During the Time of Awakening, the Emperor's Sword was a symbol, a rallying point for those who fought against the Grimm. It represented hope and light, trust and unity, friendship and bonds. It was a mark of righteousness, of a just cause, and of a better future. But..."

The man's eyes hardened as the screen showing the sword faded. "What happens when someone loses that symbol? Well... That...is something you'd better hope never happens to you."

* * *

**CHAPTER XVII - TRUST**

The _Shinkalions_ made their way down the bridge, trying to avoid stepping on cars and people as they scampered to and fro, trying to find ways out of the thick soup that blinded them and kept them from going anywhere.

Esebu felt a low growl escape his vocalizer as he clenched his fists.

"Man... sure wish they'd fire off a capture field..." he muttered. "Fighting around the humans is gonna be a pain in the ass..."

Beside him, Fumikiri nodded. "Yes. So we'll have to be wary of where we land or step."

"Perhaps an alternative could be to redirect the humans to areas where we know they won't be harmed," Haifu suggested.

Esebu shook his head as he skirted around a truck. "No. That won't work," he stated. "We don't know what kind of abilities this Grimm has, or if there are multiple. And even if we do get the humans to safety, it won't do much good if the battle goes into their area."

The femme lowered her helm, feeling embarrassed. "Oh..."

"It was a good idea though," he assured her. "We just need to be extra careful and think."

Haifu nodded. "Right."

Behind them, bringing up the rear, Nozoma grunted. "Or maybe I could fight, while you four watch the humans," he said.

"Oh, no! No way!" Esebu growled, whirling around to face him. "We are _not_ going that way! We've fought more Kaiju Grimm than you have, as that Misertree was the first one you _ever_ faced!"

"I've been fighting longer than you have, and that's saying something!" Nozoma shouted. "I was fighting long before you got roped into this whole thing!"

"And that equates to experience against _Kaiju?!_" the lead _Shinkalion_ roared. "Because from the looks of things, you didn't even know _what_ that tree ogre was capable of!"

"And that tree ogre almost _broke_ you!" Nozoma countered, his voice rising in his anger. "That is not a sign of someone who is experienced! You are just a liability! All four of you!"

"Says who?!" Haifu interjected. "We have as much right to fight as you do! So let us stop this and start focusing on the Grimm!"

Nozoma glared at the foursome with his light blue optics, his frame tense for a possible confrontation. For a moment, it seemed as if the group would be split apart as conflict erupted amongst them. But instead, Nozoma huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine! Do what you want! I'm going to hunt down that Grimm!"

He turned and walked off in the opposite direction of the others.

His frame vanished into the thick mist, and the other four _Shinkalions_ looked at one another.

"So, where do we begin?" Matagi asked Esebu.

The blue and white Shinkalion crossed his arms as he bowed his head, thinking.

He finally lifted his gaze. "Let's split up and see if we can find any trace of this thing. But don't go too far. Stay in visual range of one another. Use your lights to mark your position, or barring that, give a blast of your horn. This way we can be sure we're close by," he ordered.

"_Hai!_"

The foursome split off in different directions, but never out of each other's line of sight. Esebu flicked on his chest-mounted headlights and they were barely able to penetrate the gloom of the fog. A few clusters of people were already starting to gather in groups as it was getting close to nighttime, with fires going near their cars or close to open areas. This was something that made things much more difficult. And it worried him.

How were they supposed to fight with all these people trapped here?

Esebu stopped close to one of the pylons, looking at the surrounding fog. He dimmed his optics a shade as he looked left and right, but no enemies stood out. Maybe this was some kind of a trick pulled by the Kaiju's master? It did seem possible...

A familiar voice called out to him. "Esebu!"

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ turned in the direction of the speaker, recognizing it as Fumikiri. "What?" he called back.

"I think I found something! You need to come see it!"

Esebu hesitated, as he had strictly ordered his friends to not go far from one another, himself included. But if Fumikiri was calling to him, then it had to be important. He broke into a run, sprinting past several cars and pedestrians who recoiled from his sudden appearance. He spared them a small glance before refocusing his efforts on trying to reach Fumikiri's location.

However, when he got there, the ninja _Shinkalion_ was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey! Fumikiri!" Esebu called, cupping his hands to his faceplate. "Are you here?"

No answer. He was all alone on this span of the bridge.

Strangely, the more he looked around, the more apocalyptic the place seemed to get. He could see the suspension wires seeming to waver and corrode, but his sensors indicated that they were still intact. A few abandoned cars gave the area an even more apocalyptic feel. He shuddered against his will as he held out a hand and summoned his Wheelset Drill to his grasp. As soon as the grip was in his hand, he hefted it and held it out to the side.

Already something was wrong. Where was Fumikiri? Hadn't he called him over here?

"_Esebu, can you hear me?_"

Esebu's helm jerked up as he heard the unknown voice in his internal COMM system. "Who are you?!" he blurted, tensing his frame.

"_I apologize for startling you. I am the SHinkalion Assistant Humanoid Operations Tactical Unit, or SHASHOT Unit. But you may call me Shashot if you prefer,_" the voice said.

The lead _Shinkalion_ dimmed his optics a shade. "So you're the AI we were told about..." he mused.

"_Yes. And I have been ordered by Director Hayasugi to provide you with all the assistance you may need in battle._" Shashot's voice he noted was deep. Much like his, only with a slightly more thunderous tone. It made him want to mute his audio receptors. "_However, as of right now, I am working in concert with Futaba._"

"So, what's the deal then?" Esebu asked as he stood up, his frame still tense for anything coming his way. "I mean, right now, there's nothing to be-" He was cut off by Shashot.

"_There is an enemy unit not too far from you!_" the AI stated. "_It is coming in at forty miles per hour, and it is intent on taking you out. It is fully armed with tentacles that have blades at their tips and it is clearly based off of a Seer Grimm. But it is a new type that we are not familiar with. It is not in the database._"

Esebu's helm shot up at that. "Where is it?!" he cried, whirling around to try and spot it.

"_The enemy Grimm is-_" Shashot was cut off as something bowled into Esebu's back, knocking him flat on his chest. A cry escaped his throat as he landed on the ground, almost losing his grip on his drill. He clenched his hand around the grip for it, holding it in a death grip. He wasn't about to lose his only weapon, that was for sure. He perked up as he heard whistling coming his way. The _Shinkalion_ rolled to the side as bladed tentacles drove themselves into the ground, cracking the pavement of the bridge. The bridge swayed dangerously from the impact, and he felt his nonexistent stomach lurch. Instinct took over and he clapped a hand to his faceplate, even though he couldn't barf.

Esebu finally forced the nausea down as he staggered to his feet, looking left and right for whatever had attacked him.

Then came Fumikiri's voice. "Esebu! Over here!"

He turned, half expecting to see the other _Shinkalion_, only to see bladed tentacles whip out of the thick fog. Esebu gasped and leapt back, only for thick black tendrils to lash out of the mist, several of them winding together to form a larger one. He cried out as it wound itself around his right arm, twisting the joint of his shoulder and elbow to prevent him from using his drill. He felt the pain stabbing into his back and right side, but he forced himself to twist his frame a bit more to try and get a glimpse of what was holding him.

And he came face-to-face with a pair of light blue optics as they pulsed in the darkening mist. Esebu's optics glowed brightly as he realized that this was _not_ Fumikiri. There was no way in hell he could do this! This... what _was_ this thing?!

The unknown Grimm hovered closer, those bladed tendrils whipping out, reaching for his neck.

And he realized what was going to happen. "N-No!" he grunted. He struggled against the grip of this thing, his optics flaring.

But the unknown Grimm, which started to come into view, refused to relent. As it drew closer, Esebu could make out that it was as Shashot had said: A Seer Grimm, but more mechanical in nature, with optics similar in color and shape to Fumikiri's, and a faceplate that had a speaker on it instead of pure white metal. The tentacles holding him came from the bottom of this thing, and three of them had dangerous metallic-bone blades at the ends. They whipped through the air in cutting motions, each one coming closer to his throat.

The _Shinkalion_ began to struggle harder. His arm twitched as he tried to pull it free to use his drill, but the thing was holding him too tight. Esebu's fingers pressed the trigger once, and the drill jerked, but didn't pull more power. He tried again, and the drill jerked once more, causing the Grimm to hold it even tighter. "D-Dammit...!" he swore. "Not... Not gonna let you get me... you hunk of shit!" he growled.

Esebu pressed his drill's trigger once more... and this time something surprising happened. The drill began to spin, slowly, but surely. As it spun up, something slid open on its sides, emitting some kind of light blue mist. The drill itself began to glow lightly, but Esebu didn't notice. All he knew was that his drill was in motion, and he was going to take advantage of this. He pressed down on the trigger, and he felt a jerk in his hand as it spun up to full power. The light blue mist began to spew out of his drill as it spun faster and faster, becoming just a blur of light blue mist and silver metal. The tentacle holding his arm began to jerk and spasm as the deep cold seeped into it, starting to turn it into nothing more than a solid block of ice. Esebu let out a roar as he started to writhe, this time kicking out with his foot to kick the black head (Good name, he mused.) away, at the same time twisting his right arm and pulling with all his might. The tentacle shattered under his pull and he spun his frame away as he glanced back over his shoulder. The Black Head was hovering there, its shattered tentacle stump flailing about. The other tentacles curled into one another to form a larger one, and then it thrust that tentacle at him. Esebu dodged it and whipped his drill out in front, not even noticing the ice Dust spilling from it. "Okay, creepy! Time to punt you to the pits!" he shouted, his Aura flaring.

The Black Head's speaker-mouth suddenly opened up and it screeched as it lunged for Esebu. The _Shinkalion_ ducked to the side, skidding on his feet as he splayed his arms out to keep his balance. He glanced up, his optics locking onto the Black Head as it came back around towards him, those bladed tentacles unfurling to drive themselves into his chest. Not even hesitating, the _Shinkalion_ leader tensed the hydraulics in his legs and he leapt up, letting the thing sail underneath him. He twisted his frame around, bringing one foot down in a drop kick right for the Black Head. It swiveled in midair to try and evade, but his foot made contact with the thick metallic armor that covered its scalp. A massive dent appeared on its hide as it was sent crashing into the bridge below.

Esebu landed on his feet, panting a bit from the near miss.

He finally took note of the mist coming off his drill, and he brought it up to optic level. He stared in shock at the vents open along the sides, light blue Dust drifting out of them. The Dust had covered his drill in a thin sheet of ice, making it icy cold to the touch. He raised a hand, and gave his drill a light poke. Icy cold raced down his finger and he yelped, pulling it back as a thin layer of ice began to cover it. "What the hell...?" he whispered. "What is this?"

"_Ah. Good. Seems like it worked,_" Shashot said, his voice reaching his audios. "_We weren't sure if the Dust dispenser would work as planned, but it looks like it did._"

"Hold up. Dust dispenser? Is that what's in my drill?" Esebu asked.

"_Yes. It was Director Hayasugi's idea to give your weapons the ability to dispense Dust to augment your special moves. Each type of Dust means that your special attack will have a different_ _form,_" the AI explained. "_Like right now, your Wheelset Driver is equipped with ice Dust. So it's known as Wheelset Kori Driver._"

Esebu was about to answer when he heard a faint sound coming from the crater he had made after kicking the Black Head. His helm snapped over to look in that direction and he gaped in shock as the thing floated out, sporting an ugly dent on the side of its helm. "Crap... Now what'll I do?!" he whined.

The Black Head hissed before it floated away from him, vanishing into the thick mist as it engulfed the entire area. Within minutes, the thick clouds parted, revealing the span of roadway, but no sign of the Grimm.

"Shit... It's gone..." he muttered.

"_That means bad news... It seems like t__here are two more coming from the left and right. I suggest you stay on the move, Esebu,_" Shashot's voice insisted. The _Shinkalion_ growled, but realized that he had a point.

Esebu slowly began to walk, his head swiveling left and right as he scanned for any sign of the Black Heads.

A familiar voice called out to him. It was distinctly feminine in tone, and he recognized it as Haifu's. He paused, tensing his frame. What if it was another trick? He wished he could use his radar, but due to the fog jamming it, he was left with only his optics and audios. He paused as her voice called out.

"Esebu? Is that you?"

He stood stock still, the only sound being the whisper of air through his vents. His optics dimmed a shade as he listened for the sound of Haifu's voice.

"Esebu? Answer me! Are you there?" came the voice.

It sounded like her... but was it her?

He could vaguely hear footsteps... but it didn't sound like hers... her footsteps were less pronounced due to her feminine shape and design. These sounded more... masculine due to greater mass. His optics flashed as he spun around, his drill spinning up to full power as ice Dust began to stream from the openings on its sides again. He thrust it forward, a cry escaping his vocalizer...

And had it been possible, his optics would've widened in shock at the shape of Fumikiri as he emerged from the fog, his shuriken held at the ready.

"_Whoa!_" Esebu wound up stumbling, which made his drill go off course and jab itself into a nearby truck, freezing the container attached to its front solid. He staggered back to his feet, pulling his drill out of the container's icy remains as the Dust dispensers closed up.

"What the hell?! Esebu, you almost hit me!" Fumikiri exclaimed as he sheathed his shuriken.

"Yeah, well try avoiding getting hit by some crazy Black Head Grimm," the lead _Shinkalion_ replied.

"Black Head Grimm?" Fumikiri tilted his helm in confusion.

"Yeah. Big black thing. Looks like a Seer, but more mechanical in nature," Esebu replied as he looked around. His optics dimmed a shade. "And it can mimic our voices and optic color."

The ninja _Shinkalion_ froze. "Shit... that's not good..." he muttered.

"I know," Esebu stated as he hefted his drill. "We have to be extra careful. And do not stray. You hear a voice that sounds like one of our friends, don't answer!"

Fumikiri nodded, gulping audibly. And to be honest, Esebu couldn't blame him for being nervous. Even he was nervous as hell. The two continued to walk, keeping their optics and audios peeled for any sign of a possible Black Head.

"_Esebu, I see you rendezvoused with Fumikiri,_" Futaba mused over his COMM system.

"Yeah... speaking of which, how are you communicating with us when all signals are being blocked?" Esebu asked, getting a suspicious feeling in his gut.

"_That's classified. We'll discuss that later. Right now, we have a Grimm to defeat._" Her voice cut off at that.

"Esebu... if all signals are being blocked..." Fumikiri's voice trailed off and the other _Shinkalion_ nodded.

"Yeah. I'm beginning to think we're being played..." he muttered. Although some small part of him felt that Shashot was the only one who was real, as not even the enemy knew of him. And he took that knowledge without a grain of salt.

He finally came to a stop. "Fumikiri... I think we need to talk..." Esebu muttered, his voice low. He waited until the ninja _Shinkalion_ had stopped and walked over to his position.

"What?" he asked in a low tone of voice.

"I suspect that whomever is contacting us is _not_ Futaba... at least the one we know," he muttered. "And when I got jumped by that Black Head, I was in contact with the AI... Shashot."

Fumikiri's optics flashed a little in shock. "You were? How can you be certain it was him?" he hissed. "If we can't trust anyone we hear-"

He was cut off by a quick wave of Esebu's hand. "No one outside our group and the SDI knows Shashot exists!" he growled. "So that alone is enough for me!"

The ninja _Shinkalion_ was silent.

For a long while, the two just stood there, gazing at one another before the purple and white mecha sighed. He pinched the area of his faceplate where his nose would've been were he human. "Okay. I'll trust you on that one. But we have to take it with a grain of salt regardless."

Esebu knew what he was getting at, and he nodded. "Right. But remember what I told you."

The other mech nodded. "_Hai._"

"Now let's see if we can find Matagi and the others," Esebu ordered.

The two continued on, intent on finding the others.

* * *

Of course, things weren't looking so good for Matagi.

He was alone, and with no way to make contact with his compatriots, he was utterly isolated.

And the Black Heads were taking advantage of this.

Already three of them were hovering in the darkness of the mist, using the voices of his friends to keep him on edge and luring him into traps. He had several scratches and scrapes on his frame, but nothing too damaging... yet, anyway.

His optics flickered as he hefted his guns, creeping along warily. His engine was racing in his chest as he stopped and paused, hearing the voice of Esebu.

"Matagi? Where are you?"

The red and white _Shinkalion_ didn't answer. He stayed put, crouching behind some overturned cars in a pile as he aimed his guns in the direction of 'Esebu's' voice. He kept his fingers on the trigger and then he pulled them.

A few shots struck something hard and a cry escaped the voice's source. "Hey! Watch it!"

Again Matagi remained silent. He had been also getting contacts from Shashot, but he had refused to answer the communications signals. He didn't trust that AI as far as he could throw it. His optics dimmed a shade as he pulled back behind his cover, checking his ammunition levels.

'_So far so good..._' he thought. '_As long as I conserve my ammo, I should be able to hold out..._'

"Hey! Matagi! If you're here, just answer, dammit!" Esebu's voice shouted. "I know you're here, so why aren't you answering?!"

He felt a bit of anger in his chest and his engine increased its humming as he poked his head out a bit. "Shut the fuck up! I don't even know if I can trust you, _Esebu!_" Matagi snarled, surprising the speaker. "You can't fool me!"

"Wait! It's not-" The speaker was cut off as he aimed his guns and fired off a barrage, forcing a large shape to leap to the side, taking up cover behind an overturned truck and several piled up cars. The form poked out, and he caught a glimpse of green optics flashing, only to fire on the form's head. It ducked back behind its cover shortly after. Matagi's optics pulsed as he broke into a run, firing on the newcomer.

"Matagi! Stop!" came Esebu's voice. "What's gotten into you?!"

The red and white _Shinkalion_ didn't answer. He just fired again. The figure rolled out of the line of fire and now he could see it held some kind of a drill...

Wait... _Drill?!_

"Over here! Don't trust that faker!" Esebu's voice shouted from another location. Matagi whipped his helm around, trying to spot the speaker.

He gripped his guns in his hands, aiming them in both directions. "Okay! Which one of you is the real Esebu and which one is the fake?!"

"Dammit, Matagi! I'm not some floating head!" Esebu 1 shouted.

"Neither am I!" Esebu 2 barked. "So shut up, ya fake!"

"Says the one who's got nothing but tentacles for a body!"

"I do not have that! You do!"

Matagi's helm swiveled left and right as he tried to distinguish between the two. One he knew had to be the real Esebu, but as to which one, it just didn't seem like he could tell. Both of them sounded exactly the same, and possessed green optics. But which one was real and the fake?

"All right! Just answer me! Which one is fake, and the other real?!"

"I'm real!" both voices shouted. "He's the fake!"

Matagi pulled the trigger on both guns, one of their rounds striking the ground close to each speaker.

"Gah! Hey! Watch it!" Esebu 1 cried. "You almost hit my foot!"

"Watch where you're aiming, Matagi!" Esebu 2 yelled. "You could've hit my face!"

"That's because it's the only thing you have, ya poser!" Esebu 1 snarled.

* * *

While this was going on, Fumikiri darted along the top of the bridge, his optics picking out a pair of black shapes as they floated along, tentacles unwinding and sneaking along the roadway. The purple and white _Shinkalion_ leapt off the bridge top, landing on the suspension cables and sliding down them as quietly as he could. While he could've jumped, he didn't want to cause a racket or possibly crush any people who were hiding either on the deck or underneath on the suspended tollway beneath.

His optics landed on the two Black Heads, Esebu had called them, and in his mind, it was a perfect name for them, considering that they were almost entirely black save for their optical sensor color. They also appeared to bear a slight resemblance to the main hero from that old _Space Boy_ anime he had seen once at a comic convention a few years ago. He frowned to himself in his thoughts as he clenched his hand on the cable he was on and came to a stop, just mere meters from the deck and his prey. Now that he was above them, he was in a key position to take them out. But he paused, wanting to see just what _Shinkalions_ they were supposed to mimic.

One of them pivoted itself around, a pair of yellow optics with a green pair above them glinting in the low light. Fumikiri had to actually mute his vocalizer to keep a gasp from escaping his throat, although he couldn't do much to stop the extra air from being taken in through his vents. He froze as the other one - with light blue optics - glanced around. He found it weird that these things hadn't even taken notice of him. Was it because of this Mistery? Was it jamming their radar as well, or were they just not aware of his presence in general?

He had no idea. And despite being in a good position to take them out, he needed to get an idea of their voices before he moved on.

One of them - the one with four optics - finally spoke, calling out to a shape he recognized as being Haifu.

"Haifu! We're over hear!" came Matagi's voice from the four-eyed Grimm. Fumikiri's optics pulsed in anger as a low growl resonated in his chest, making his engine rev as a result. He felt so... _betrayed_ by this, by whomever was using their voices to sow distrust. While it was a code amongst ninja clans to never trust anyone outside of the clan, Matagi, Haifu, Hayato, and Esebu had proven themselves trustworthy and were therefore considered honorary Tsukiyama clan members. So to hear his friends' voices being used to sow such distrust was considered the lowest anyone could go.

The other Black Head finally spoke, but not in his voice.

It was Nozoma's.

"We think we found something," Nozoma's voice said.

Haifu's footsteps began to make their way over...

And Fumikiri made his move. Without any hesitation he sprang over the Black Heads, landing on the opposite side of a tanker truck and grabbed Haifu by the arm, pulling her back with a squeak.

"Don't even dare!" he hissed, facing her direction.

"Fumikiri, what the hell is going on?" the female _Shinkalion_ asked. "Are you trying to separate us?!"

"No," he answered. "I'm trying to _keep_ us from becoming separated." Then his optics pulsed. "And for good reason."

Haifu tilted her helm to the side as her rabbit ear extensions quivered. "Why?" she asked, her own optics pulsing as she folded her arms.

Fumikiri glanced at where the Black Heads were. "Those voices... are not Matagi or Nozoma," he began. "And before you ask, Nozoma doesn't trust us to handle the fighting. He sees us as too young for it," he added as he saw her raise a hand to protest.

"So... then who or what was speaking?" she asked.

The purple and white ninja _Shinkalion_ growled. "Black Heads..."

Haifu was not too keen on the name, but for some reason it made her tense. "Black Heads?"

Fumikiri simply waved a hand for her to follow him. She cocked her helm to the side in confusion, but followed her friend regardless. They both peeked around the corner, and Haifu let out a muffled squeak as she stared at the two black heads floating around, barely visible in the mist. She could see one looked like Matagi's from a distance, and the other one had the same features as Nozoma, at least from a distance. But what really creeped her out were the tentacles as they slithered out from underneath the two heads, forming into long bladed whips. She pulled back, looking to Fumikiri in shock.

"Are those Black Heads?" she asked in a soft whisper.

The _Shinkalion_ nodded. "Yeah. And they appear to be mimicking our optic colors and voices to sow distrust..."

Haifu's hands flew to her faceplate in shock. "Shit..."

Fumikiri's optics hardened as he looked at her directly. "We have to take them out. And now."

The female _Shinkalion_ was silent before she looked up, squaring her shoulders and summoning her Turnstile Sword to her hand. "Right."

However, it would be easier said than done at this point...

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**COMMAND CENTER**

* * *

The entire room was tense as the radio signals struggled to penetrate the fog.

And actually, it was a bit disturbing just what Shashot had done to establish contact with the _Shinkalions_.

To hijack communications signals was one thing, but to actively augment them using a powerful broadcasting system was another.

Especially when said system was one of the main landmarks in the city.

His gaze was fixed on the news showing the iconic international orange and white structure, along with a news report talking about a strange signal being broadcast out along with its usual array of media. The signal, Hokuto knew, was from Shashot himself, as it had been described as 'half alive'.

"_...unsure of where the signal is broadcasting from, but so far, according to the director at the tower's broadcasting center, the signal has not interfered with the broadcasts and stations transmitted from the tower itself. In fact, it appears that the unknown signal is being transmitted in unison with the usual signals put out by the system..._"

"Sir... is it even wise to let him do this?" one of the technicians asked nervously. "I mean... given what he just did... He could in theory shut down all communications in the city... and even possibly the entire country..."

Director Hayasugi was firm though. "Yes. I do agree it is disturbing, but this was the only way for him to reach the team out in the field, given that the mist blocks all transmissions otherwise," he stated. "So to use an already existing system to amplify the signal was the most logical conclusion."

The techie rubbed his head. "Still I don't like it..."

'_And neither do I..._' Hokuto admitted to himself. '_But what other choice do we have? All other signals, including satellite communications, are blocked. So... I hate to admit it, but Shashot is our best bet to win this one..._'

The AI's face flickered on the screen in the lower left hand corner as he spoke. "_Director, I have made contact with Esebu._"

Hokuto looked at him directly, fingers tenting in front of his mouth as he sat back at the main console. "How's the team faring?" he asked worriedly.

The AI's features took on a frown. "_They are currently engaging an unknown type of Grimm. Esebu has called them Black Heads, and so far they are proving to be rather tenacious, in addition to causing distrust amongst the team._"

The summary of the fight was enough to make the blood drain from the cat Faunus's face. His eyes went wide as he stood up, slamming his hands down on the desk. "They're _what?!_"

Shashot's eyes hardened. "_I can only conclude that the enemy is seeking to take advantage of that fact and use it against us._"

Now was the moment of truth. Hokuto swallowed nervously as he looked Shashot in the eyes. "What is your recommended course of action, then?"

His green eyes flickered before glazing over. He fell silent and the tension in the room mounted. Hokuto bit his lower lip as he watched. Futaba had her hands over her mouth and Honjo was silent, his gaze fixed on the AI. Other technicians and operational staff looked at one another, worried as well as concerned, and a bit excited. In truth, Hokuto was worried that his gamble was going to fail. If the AI failed to produce a viable plan, then it was going to be shuttered... and possibly the whole project as well.

The AI's green eyes returned to bright clarity and the avatar looked up.

"_The best course of action is to expose the Black Heads,_" Shashot answered. "_But in order to do so, there must be a strong gust of wind that can blow the mist aside. And seeing as how it's not windy - and will not be for another four hours - that means we will have to resort to another way to disperse it._"

Hokuto narrowed his eyes at the recommendation. It was a sound plan. But he was also right about the wind. And they didn't _have_ four hours to wait, given how close the team was to coming apart.

So their next best bet was to somehow generate an artificial wind. And that was going to be easier said than done.

Still, he had to try. He finally looked up. "Contact Esebu and inform him of the plan."

"Hai." The AI's avatar saluted before switching to the _Shinkalion_ COMM frequency.

* * *

**TOKYO BAY RAINBOW BRIDGE BATTLEFIELD**

* * *

Esebu ducked behind his makeshift cover of a pile of vehicles as more bullets sailed past his armored shoulders.

"Shit... Now what?! I can't get through to him!" he muttered.

He leaned out again, still intent on reaching his friend. "Matagi! Just stop and think!" he shouted.

A barrage of gunfire was his response. Esebu pulled back just as he heard his COMM beeping in his head. His hand flew to his helm on instinct, putting a finger close to where his audios were. "What? I'm kinda busy right now!" he growled.

"_Esebu. It's Shashot. I have an idea as to how you can expose the Black Heads,_" the AI stated.

"Then lay it on me! Matagi thinks I'm one of those damn Black Heads!" Esebu exclaimed.

"_Very well. The plan is as follows: to expose the Black Heads to Matagi, you must figure out a way to generate an artificial wind to scatter the mist. However, the wind is not supposed to pick up until four hours from now,_" Shashot explained. "_And as it stands, my calculations state that you only have a limited time before the distrust causes a divide in the team. So you have to act and fast._"

Esebu ducked down as more bullets streaked overhead. "Okay! I'll see what we can do!" he shouted.

Shashot's signal faded from his COMM system and he glanced around, lowering his hand as he did so. He could see that a number of vehicles were overturned, and a soft wind whistled through their still frames. Esebu wasn't sure where the people who were trapped here were, but some part of him suspected that Nozoma had ushered them down below the surface where they'd be safer than up on the surface.

Now that he had a plan, all he had to do was figure out how to carry it out.

But how?

* * *

Fumikiri glanced to the side as the Black Heads sailed past their hiding spot.

He hefted his shuriken in their kunai configuration and tensed his frame. He gulped nervously before he poised himself to strike.

The one with the four optics stopped, looking left and right as its tentacles floated around it, as if sniffing out his location.

Thankfully he wasn't even on the ground.

He was instead clinging to the side of the bridge's pylon, using his ninja abilities to stick himself to the side like a gecko.

The ninja _Shinkalion_ dimmed his optics as he watched the Black Head float along the ground, finally coming to a halt as it scanned for his location. He slowly crouched...

As the thing looked in his direction, he sprang off the side of the pylon, his shuriken flashing as he threw them towards the Black Head. Thin wires were attached to the backs of his weapons, allowing him to pull them back after they did their damage. He gripped the wires in one hand as he flipped, the weapons embedding themselves in the Black Head's speaker, earning a loud screeching sound that made him mute his audios. Fumikiri whirled around and gave a firm tug of the wire, metallic fragments, oil, and Dark Substance flying from the mechanical frame of the Black Head. A bit of oil splattered on his frame, but he ignored it as he caught his kunai in one hand before reattaching them to his arms.

The Black Head turned, that metallic grille now just a mess of sparking wires and shredded metal mesh. The tentacles writhed as the thing flew at him, and he gripped his kunai before he slammed them together, forming his shuriken.

"Not gonna happen this time!" he growled.

The Black Head soared towards him, and Fumikiri tensed his frame. Every system, piston, and hydraulic was poised for the attack. He took in a breath through his vents and let it out, focusing on the task at hand.

He waited until it was just within mere feet... and then he leapt into the air, his frame twisting around as he threw the shuriken. "_Fumikiri Shuriken!_"

The bladed weapon spun through the air like a buzzsaw, the edges of the blades gleaming in the dim light of the fog. The Black Head began to spin its tentacles, much like a buzzsaw as well. The two sped at each other, one a Grimm, the other a weapon, and then...

Fumikiri's optics flashed as he held two fingers in front of his faceplate. "_Aura Clone Jutsu!_"

The Black Head perked up as suddenly the shuriken began to glow... and split into four! Its optics flashed in shock as the four shuriken cut into its frame, cleaving it in half, and then into quarters, sixths, and then eighths. The Black Head could only squeak before it exploded, leaving a fireball behind. Fumikiri swiped his hand to the side and the Aura Clones vanished, his shuriken coming back around towards him. His hand lashed out and caught it before dismissing it.

He looked back, his optics filled with worry. "Esebu..."

* * *

Haifu peeked around the other side of the pylon, her sword held in her hands.

The Black Head posing as Nozoma floated past her hiding spot, and she gripped the hilt of her weapon tightly. She took in a nervous breath before she tensed her frame.

The Grimm came to a stop, and a chill raced down her spinal struts as it spoke in that voice she knew to be Nozoma's.

"Haifu, just relax. It's just me, Nozoma," it said.

'_Hardly!_' she thought as anger pulsed in her systems. '_Nozoma is _not_ that kind, or considerate!_'

She didn't even answer as she hefted her sword and prepared to spring into action.

Her wings twitched as she finally made her move.

She leapt into the air, propelled by her wings' thrust and she held her sword out in front of her as she brought it down in a downward slash. A short cry escaped her as she prepared to bisect the Grimm in half.

However, she was _not_ expecting it to block her sword with two tentacle-blades. Her optics flashed in shock. "_Nani!?_"

The Grimm's other tentacles whipped out and collided with her chest, sending her flying back. Haifu slammed into the street, skidding a ways before she came to a stop, groaning slightly. She forced herself to ignore the pain in her torso as she pushed herself into a sitting position. The Black Head seemed to sneer at her as it floated closer, two tentacle blades raised and poised to drive themselves into her chest.

The female _Shinkalion's_ optics pulsed as she reacted swiftly. She drew her legs close to her chest and then lashed out in a double kick, knocking the blades aside and hitting the Black Head in the face, shattering its speaker and denting it. The Grimm also bounced along the pavement much like a soccer ball or basketball, she noted as she scrambled to her feet. She held her sword in her grasp in a kendo stance, her optics locked onto her opponent as it regained itself and came to a stable hover in midair before her.

A soft gust of wind blew through the open space between the two, one hovering Grimm, the other a female _Shinkalion_. To Haifu, it reminded her of an old Wild West film she had seen once. Both were poised to make a move, and only the fastest would be the one to win. She knew she was quick, but this thing had numbers on its side. So it all came down to reflexes.

And she hoped she had the reflexes to beat this thing and its tentacle blades.

The Black Head lunged for her.

Haifu's optics flashed as she hefted her sword and, feeling her engine racing, turned it to face the Black Head. The 'closed' symbol on the side flashed red, and she held her blade up. A flash of light came from either side of the Black Head and spread out, creating the energy cage to trap it. Just as it soared through towards her, the front 'gates' slammed shut, causing it to bash itself into them, denting them but the energy cage held. The rear 'gates' slammed shut, trapping it inside the cage. The Black Head lashed out with its tentacle blades, but Haifu was already in motion. Her back wings flared and she dashed right for the Grimm. "_Turnstile Sword!_"

Her blade began to glow as she slashed, generating a mild shockwave as she cut through the Grimm as it tried to escape the cage. She landed on the other side, spinning around and holding her sword off to the side as the Grimm exploded.

Panting, Haifu looked over her shoulder, every inch of her frame tense for a possible attack.

Her optics flashed in shock as she saw the tentacle blades lance out towards her from the smoke. She reacted swiftly, her sword coming up to block each blade's attack. She relied on her kendo training and her reflexes to keep them at bay, but judging by how swiftly they were attacking her, it was only a matter of time before she made a slip up. And that they couldn't afford.

The female _Shinkalion_ began to back up in an attempt to get some breathing room between her and the Black Head. Much to her surprise and relief, the tentacle blades withdrew into the smoke, allowing her time to brace herself for what she expected to be a charging attack. She tensed her hydraulics and servos, locking her joints for a possible attack.

The Black Head came soaring out of the smoke, its optics flashing, a nasty gash across its speaker grille and a large number of those tentacles missing. She had missed the vital strike, she thought as frustration built up in her chest. She tensed and finally lunged, pushing off the ground and darting towards the Black Head, sword held out in front like a lance. And this time, she didn't miss.

Her sword drove itself right into the forehead of the Grimm, stopping it cold as its processor or whatever it had was penetrated. The optics flickered before they went dark and the remaining tentacles fell limp, smoke and oil coming from its wounds. The thing began to dissipate into black smoke, and Haifu stood up, letting its remains fall off her sword. She gazed down at them before she backed up, turning and looking back at where Fumikiri had darted off to.

"Esebu... Please be careful..." she muttered.

* * *

Esebu was _not_ having an easy time trying to reach Matagi.

He was very tempted to just charge in and tackle the other mech, but that would only make things worse, he realized as he peeked out in the direction of the other voice.

"For the last time, I am not a copy! You are!" he shouted.

"Says the fake!" his voice shouted back.

"Yeah? Then tell me something only I would know about Matagi!" Esebu snapped, a desperate plan forming in his processor. Maybe this would work... Or it could backfire spectacularly in his face. But what other choice did he have?

The other voice was silent for a moment, and Esebu seized his chance. He scrambled to his feet, trying to bolt for where Matagi was. However, a hail of gunfire stopped him cold and he had to roll to the side, in the direction of the voice mimicking his own. He glanced up, and his optics flickered as he caught a glimpse of two green optics much like his own... And then he saw it.

The cluster of tentacles at the bottom of the Black Head.

His frame tensed as they whipped out towards him and he leapt back, barely avoiding getting grabbed by them. Esebu pressed the trigger on his Wheelset Drill three times and the Dust dispensers opened, icy blue mist seeping out from them and coating his drill in a thin sheet of ice. He wasn't about to be caught off guard like he was last time. Esebu waited for the tentacles to come closer, but it seemed like they were withdrawing... Had this thing caught onto what his plan was? The mere thought sent a shudder down his spinal struts and he growled lowly in his vocalizer.

"_Esebu, I take it you have a plan?_" Shashot asked over his COMM.

Esebu nodded. "_Yeah... but barely. I just hope Fumikiri can manage to do his part..._"

He was really worried. What if Fumikiri failed to generate the artificial wind they needed?

All he could do was pray for the best.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE:**_

**NAME: Black Heads**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Ultra**

**BASIS: Heads/Seer Grimm**

**ABILITIES: The Black Heads are able to mimic the voices and optic color of any _Shinkalion_ they encounter. They are armed with bladed tentacles that can merge to form other, thicker tentacles. They are bigger than a Seer, and they possess the same abilities to communicate with Sammael as regular Seers. I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. has also given them DG Cells, allowing him to communicate through them using a _Shinkalion's_ voice.**

* * *

**NAME: Mistery**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Mega**

**BASIS: UNKNOWN**

**ABILITIES: The Mistery is a complete unknown. All that is known is that its mist can jam any and all communications, except for those amplified by external means.**


	19. BARRAGE

Chapter 19: BARRAGE

All he could do was pray for the best.

Esebu hefted his drill as he observed the Black Head's green optics before they vanished into the mist.

He started to scan around him, switching his vision to infrared so he could pick it out amidst the thick fog. But that was proving to be a lot easier said than done.

A flicker of a chuckle came over his COMM system and he jerked his helm up in shock.

The voice he was hearing was __not__ Shashot, that much was certain. It was much deeper, more gravelly, and possessed a metallic edge to it. It sounded more synthetic than organic, unlike the Dragon of Denver's voice.

"__So... you took out two of the Black Heads... Not bad, boy... Not bad at all. But can you do it while trying to save the trust of your teammates? Because you can only have one... not the other...__"

The voice vanished from his COMM before he could even answer or make a retort. Esebu's frame shuddered as he gripped his drill tightly in his hand. "Who __was__ that...?" he muttered to himself.

However, his musings were interrupted when he heard that copy of his voice call out to Matagi. "Matagi, just shoot the imposter already!"

"No! Don't!" Esebu cried, scrambling out from his hiding place. "Just stop and think!"

But a third barrage of gunfire forced him to roll to the side again, this time behind the nearest column that held the Rainbow Bridge's support cables. He was now panting heavily as he looked out, worry in his optics.

'__Dammit, Akita! What's gotten into you?!__' he thought.

Up above, a pair of red eyes flared in the mist before fading...

* * *

****(****__Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics__****)****

****START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)****

****(****__The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons__****)****

****Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (****__The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all.__****)****

****GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING****

****Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (****__The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name__****)****

****Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (****__Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head__****)****

****Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (****__A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand__****)****

****Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (****__The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash__****)****

****Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (****__The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it__****)****

****Susumu koto dake omouto (****__He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly__****)****

****Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (****__The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura__****)****

****Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (****__Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half__****)****

****Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (****__The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back__****)****

****Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (****__The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen__****)****

****Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (****__The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance__****)****

****Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (****__The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks__****)****

****Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (****__The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha__****)****

****Ushinau koto dake omouto (****__The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo__****)****

****Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (****__The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by__****)****

****Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (****__The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades__****)****

****Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (****__Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave__****)****

****Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (****__The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it__****)****

****Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (****__The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light__****)****

****Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (****__They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them__****)****

****Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (****__The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world__****)****

****Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (****__The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color__****)****

****Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (****__The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves__****)****

****Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (****__The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them__****)****

****GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING****

* * *

__****OPENING FILES:****__

__****CLASSIFIED****__

__****DECRYPTING...****__

__****FILES DECRYPTED****__

__****OPENING FILES: FUMIKIRI BARRAGE****__

__The Fumikiri Barrage is the special move of Akita Oga/Matagi. This move allows him to deal a significant amount of damage using his cannons' charged shot; the only difference here is that the charged shots split into several smaller shots, a resemblance to the Dragon of Denver's beam burst gun. These shots pack more power though. When in use, his Aura glows a brilliant red color, the Aura itself channeling into the guns before being released in a burst of red energy. The weakness of this move is that, while powerful, it takes time to charge, which can be disrupted by hitting Matagi anywhere. Therefore his friends need to keep him safe while it charges.__

__****TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE****__

* * *

"Having artillery can lead to a major victory in any war. However, what happens when the artillery doesn't pull through?" The man looked up, his eyes flickering as he gestured to the main monitor. It flashed once and it came online, showing a massed artillery battalion as they opened fire, providing cover for infantry and other forces as they moved across a battlefield.

"That's the thing. You have to have trust in your comrades during combat to make it possible. And without that trust, then what? That is the thing. Working with a unit, no matter how long you've been with them, it builds trust. You learn their strength and weaknesses, and they in turn learn yours. That kind of bond means you can trust them to have your back. But if you lack that trust, then what happens? Defeat."

The man lowered his hand and the monitor went dark. "So when it comes to your friends, trust them. Because without that trust, then you have no one to turn to."

* * *

****CHAPTER XVIII - BARRAGE****

Nozoma was not doing so well.

Especially since after he had gotten the majority of the bystanders trapped on the surface of the Rainbow Bridge to the underside tollway he had been jumped by a Black Head.

The one he was currently fighting was armed with several sharp blades that could be thrown like shuriken, and that was enough to make him wise as to what was going on: apparently whomever had sent these things after them was taking advantage of the distrust between the team to cause rifts.

But to actually be successful was something that they couldn't have happen.

Especially since so many people were counting on them to win.

The white __Shinkalion__ clenched his fists as the Black Head lunged for him, his optics flashing bright blue as a cry tore itself free from his vocalizer. The blue energy blades sprang free from his wrists as he thrust one forward, the other drawn back for a slash attack.

The Black Head screeched in a laugh before it drew a tentacle back before hurling that bone-like shuriken in his direction. Nozoma tensed his frame before he ducked down, skidding on his knees as he slid under the shuriken. His left blade swung up, gashing through one of the tentacles and making it vanish into thick smoke. He skidded to a stop and got to his feet, holding both hands up in a martial arts stance. The Black Head turned in midair to face him, and its optics flashed as it spoke in Fumikiri's voice. "Nice moves," it mocked.

The __Shinkalion__ didn't answer. While he wasn't too keen on letting the younger ones fight, they seemed to be doing decently for the moment. So he had to just hope they could hold their own until he took this thing down. Then he could go after the others... and then the Mistery itself.

The Kaiju Grimm seemed to sneer at him, what with the way the speaker grille curved up at one side, before it thrust two tentacles at him. Thinking fast, Nozoma's arms became a blur as he started to parry and slash against the blades attacking him. His energy blades hummed and sparks clashed from the two impacting against each other. His optics were hard before he brought up both blades and blocked a tentacle blade before he moved his frame to the side at the same time, pivoting on a foot before bringing up his other foot in a roundhouse kick.

The blow connected with the Black Head's mechanical helm and it was sent flying, those tentacles flailing as it struggled to get its trajectory under control. Nozoma took the chance to crouch and, not even a moment later, he focused on something briefly. Then came the sensation of flames coming out of his back. Or rather the thrusters secreted there. He tensed his frame and his Aura seethed around him before he channeled into his hydraulics. He sprang into the air, boosted by his thrusters as well as his Aura enhanced reflexes to give him a greater jump distance. His optics pulsed as he thrust a blade towards the Black Head, only for one of those tentacles to wrap itself around his arm. He gasped in shock before the others wound themselves around his frame as well, pinning his arms to his sides and his legs together. He struggled, channeling his Aura into his hydraulics and pistons, but no amount of Aura enhancement had the effect he wanted. He tried to move one of his blades to cut the tentacles, but he couldn't even do that.

Nozoma looked around, a bad feeling suddenly surfacing in his gut.

He didn't know why, but it suddenly felt like there was another presence in the area, and it was __not__ friendly.

A soft voice echoed over his COMM system and Nozoma's helm snapped up.

"__Very clever... close quarters combatant. But not good enough...__"

"Who are you?!" Nozoma demanded, looking around for any sign of the speaker.

"__Ah. That will have to wait... Especially since this fight will end in our favor soon enough... Heheheheh...__"

That was all Nozoma heard before something crashed into his helm, knocking him offline from the sheer force of the impact alone.

* * *

For Haifu, things weren't looking so good.

Especially as she had linked up with Esebu and Matagi, only to find herself under attack from the red and white __Shinkalion__.

She was plastered behind some of the debris that had been thrown around by the battle, and already she could see a Black Head with yellow optics similar to hers floating into position to mimic her voice.

A burst of anger flared in her chest at that, and she growled. There was no damn way in hell she was gonna be mistaken for a Black Head if she could help it!

She prepared to bolt out of hiding.

Her optics pulsed as she leapt into the air, her audios picking up on the Black Head as it floated out of hiding, its tentacles dragging on the ground. If she could only damage its speaker grille, then maybe they'd have a chance to reach Matagi and make him see reason. It seemed to be the only choice at this point.

The Grimm started to hover closer to Matagi's location, revealing itself to be one with yellow-orange optics... like hers. Haifu tensed, knowing that this was the one designed to mimic her voice. She hefted her sword and dove down, her blade poised to strike at its speaker grille. It stopped and pivoted, its optics flashing as she let out a short cry, jabbing her sword into its speaker grille, causing a shower of sparks and black stuff to fly out. A gargbled screeching came from its shattered vocalizer, and she pulled her sword out, cutting upwards at the same time.

A flash of the blade and the Black Head was in two pieces, black smoke and oil oozing out of the severed halves. Haifu landed on the ground, her sword held out to the side and she turned to look at where Esebu was hiding. She could barely see him in the smoke, but it looked like he was having trouble against the Black Head mimicking his voice. Or was he? She wasn't too sure, so she decided to try something. She focused for a moment, her mental energies directed towards the horn on her frame. In a second, a loud blast of sound came from it, startling her as well as the others. She jerked back in shock, before she regained her composure.

"Haifu? Was that you?!" Matagi shouted. "Blast your horn again if it was!"

Haifu's optics glowed briefly as an idea dawned. She blasted her horn again.

"Thank Glob! I'm having trouble trying to find out who is who between the two Esebus!" Matagi called to her.

Haifu blasted her horn a few times. She wasn't willing to speak in case the Kaiju Grimm could adjust their optic color and voices to continue the mimicry. But as it stood, she wasn't sure how she was going to communicate... unless... She focused on her horn a bit more, and blasted it again. This time the sound was sort of...muffled... at the middle of the tone. Then she gave a loud blast before it faded away. Matagi's voice called out to her. "What was that?!"

She mentally gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists on her sword. She had to get him to see which was the real Esebu! But how if she couldn't directly speak to him?! Her optics flickered as she glanced around. Maybe... there had to be some way to get her message across!

"Haifu! Answer me!" Matagi called out.

She gave an irritated blast of her horn to let him know she was there. She was on the move at the same time, making her way to the location where his voice was coming from. Given how the Black Head responsible for his optics and voice was taken care of, there was no need to be wary, or so she hoped. She wasn't about to take chances though, and gave another blast of her horn as she got closer to where he was.

He glanced out from his hiding spot and a surge of relief rushed through Haifu's frame as she ran over. "Matagi!" she cried, finally daring to speak.

The red and white __Shinkalion__ was not doing too good, but at least it was better than she had feared. The scuffs and scrapes could easily be buffed out. He glanced at her, and his optics flashed as he suddenly aimed his guns at her. She yelped and ducked as something flashed through the air, the bullets hitting it and making it withdraw. She slowly looked up as he holstered one of his guns and held out a hand. "Sorry," he said. "But that thing was trying to get you."

"What thing?" Haifu asked.

Matagi didn't answer. He just looked down at his gun before handing her one.

Haifu began to get a bad feeling in her gut. She shook her helm at once.

"Why not?" Matagi asked, his optics pulsing in anger.

"Because our friends are out there," she responded.

"So they say," Matagi growled. "I don't even know which one is the real Esebu, or even if Fumikiri is here."

"Then we'll just have to trust them," the female __Shinkalion__ retorted.

"How can I, if I don't know who is who?!" Matagi cried.

"Just trust me!" she shot back. "I trust them, and you should too! That is one thing we have, right? Then don't misplace that trust! I trust in them, and that is something you should do, too! Now, do you trust me on this one?"

Matagi was silent for a moment, but then gazed into her optics. They were filled with resolution and drive... and trust in those she called friends. Some small part of him was insistent that he couldn't trust anyone, not even his own allies and friends. But the rest of him, the more realistic side, told him to put his faith in them. They had always backed him up numerous times, so why should they stop now?

He hesitated, but then nodded. "I... I trust you, Haifu..." he said.

"Good." Haifu nodded back. "Because you can."

The red and white __Shinkalion__ wasn't sure if this was the right idea, but he had little choice in the matter. He finally sighed out of his vents as he looked around. "So, what now?" he asked.

Haifu's optics dimmed a shade as she peeked out from behind the overturned vehicles and debris. She decided to take a chance and called out. "Esebu, can you hear me?"

"Yes!" came two voices, both of them the same. She twitched her rabbit ear-like helm extensions, trying to use the enhanced sensors there to pick out the real Esebu's voice. In truth, she didn't even know if it would work. She had never done this before; actually, this was her first time even trying this. She bowed her head, listening intently. "Esebu, if you really are the real one, answer me first!" she said clearly, while also listening.

"What are you doing?!" Matagi hissed.

Haifu didn't answer.

Then, one of the Esebus responded.

"Whaddya want me to do?!" came one of their voices.

Her 'ears' twitched and she looked up, optics flaring online. "There!"

She pointed with her sword.

"What-" Matagi's protest was cut off when a familiar shape leapt out of the mist, its optics flaring. He whirled, one hand flying for his guns, but instead Haifu placed a hand on his.

"No!" she said firmly. "That's Fumikiri, not a Black Head!"

"Wait... Black Head?" Matagi was confused, but then a bellow of rage came from somewhere close by and he looked around, his hands on his rifles.

A gasping sound came from further off, and then Esebu's voice drifted out of the mist. "G-Get... off me, ya hunk of scrap!"

"No! You get... off of me!" came the second Esebu. Matagi was now confused. Who was he supposed to trust out of the two?!

The incoming shape emerged from the mist completely into their line of sight, revealing the ninja __Shinkalion__, his shuriken held at the ready. His optics flashed as he gripped the weapon and then, something on the sides slid open and a greenish white mist began to seethe out from slots on the shuriken itself.

Fumikiri had just discovered his own weapon's Dust dispensers. Or rather, Haifu and he had uncovered it before meeting up with Matagi. The two had planned for this, to expose the Black Heads to Matagi and Nozoma...wherever he was. His frame tensed and then he threw his shuriken towards where Haifu was pointing her sword. "__Fumikiri Kaze Shuriken!__"

His shuriken spun through the air, the wind Dust coming from its blades generating a whirlwind of sorts, creating an artificially generated tornado. While not as powerful as the real deal, it was enough to toss a few cars off the bridge and to snap a few strands of the suspension cables. The mist also began to part, drawn in by the swirling vortex. Matagi watched in astonishment as the mist began to vanish, exposing familiar objects and shapes. He could see the cars and trucks more clearly now that the mist was being drawn up. But also, he could see several other shapes, one of which was Fumikiri as he clung to the side of one of the pylons, his hand held out as he waited for his weapon to return to him.

The other was Esebu.

The __real__ Esebu... as well as a Grimm he had never seen before. To him, it resembled a Seer, but more mechanical in nature, with the same green optics as Esebu, and a speaker grille where its mouth would've been, had it had one. Its tentacles were wrapped securely around Esebu's neck, but the lead __Shinkalion__ was not stopping his struggles as his drill jabbed at the Black Head, trying to hit it with the weapon. And off to the side, lay an unconscious Nozoma, being lugged along by two more Black Heads. He wasn't sure what the things wanted with him, and despite not even really trusting him, he still felt he had to repay the other mecha for having helped them during the Misertree attack.

"Matagi...!" Esebu rasped. "Take this damn thing out...!"

"__Ooh... how clever...__" an unknown voice hissed in the mist as the wind Dust finally dissipated, leaving the shuriken to return to Fumikiri's grasp. "__So you found a way to dismiss the mist... Clever, but not enough... For this is only the beginning of the end for you!__"

"Who the hell are you?!" Matagi roared.

"__I am your demise... I am your end... I am the Devil...__" the voice sneered.

Haifu's 'ears' twitched as she looked around, her optics finally landing on something hovering above the group. "There!" she cried.

The four __Shinkalions__ all looked up at it, only to gasp as something sinister slid out of the mist.

And Matagi actually gulped in terror.

This thing was not a normal Kaiju Grimm. For one thing, it was solely made up of thick mist. His sensors could detect an incredibly strong electromagnetic field designed to contain it, and it held a vaguely humanoid shape. In its face hovered two red lights, flashing like optics. Its face was blank, with no features to speak of aside from those two red optics. Its hands were just clawed lumps, and its feet resembled talons.

This was the true form of the Mistery. And it was about to go on the attack.

"MOVE!" shouted Fumikiri as the Mistery held out a hand. A thick blast of scalding mist came their way and the duo leapt away from their hiding spot. Esebu meanwhile twisted his frame to the left, tearing himself free from the Black Head's tentacles as the mist barely hit its armored frame. Its tentacles writhed as it was scorched to a crisp from the sheer heat alone.

"Shit...!" he muttered in terror.

The Mistery leaned in, its misty hands reaching out for the team.

The __Shinkalions__ that were still online dodged, and Esebu spotted the Black Heads inching away with Nozoma. "No you don't!" he growled. He pressed the trigger of his drill three times and the slots opened, ice Dust seeping out and covering his drill in a thin sheet of ice. He lunged forward, his treads whirling on the ground as he thrust his drill out in front of him. The Black Head closest to him got impaled in the back, freezing it solid into a black sphere of ice. The tentacles grew limp as it fell, landing on the ground and shattering into pieces. The second Black Head spotted the demise of its companion and it whirled around, its tentacles lashing out as it screeched its fury at him. Esebu tensed his frame and leapt back, flipping his frame as he did so. He looked back to Haifu.

"Haifu! Get Nozoma out of here!" he ordered.

The female __Shinkalion__ nodded and darted into the area, her wings giving her some thrust as she bolted. Her sword vanished as she reached out with her hand and grabbed the unconscious Nozoma, hoisting him onto her shoulders and running for the very entrance to the bridge's main roadway. Once the two vanished outside the mist, Esebu looked to Fumikiri. "Okay! Let's try and take this thing down!" he cried.

"Hai!" Fumikiri said with a nod.

Matagi glanced to Esebu, and his yellow optics met blazing green.

For a moment, Matagi feared that Esebu was going to scold him. But much to his surprise and relief, he merely held out a hand. The red and white __Shinkalion__ hesitated before he reached out a hand and took Esebu's. The leader pulled him to his feet.

"Glad to see you finally came to your senses," he remarked.

"Yeah. Actually, I have to thank you for doing that," Matagi stated. "You really helped me see what was really going on by exposing the truth."

"Actually, I didn't," Esebu corrected. "My guess is that Haifu and Fumikiri came up with that plan themselves. I just had to trust them to have a plan in place."

Haifu's words came back to him. "__Trust in them.__"

Trust... It was so hard to earn, but so easy to break.

But... it also held much promise. Trust in those around him was what enabled him and his friends to get this far. Trusting Director Hayasugi helped them win several of their battles. And now... he had to trust in... an AI.

Or at least to help them. As much as he hated to admit it, it was better to give people a chance rather than assume the worst and be paranoid all the time. That was what had led several other scientists involved in researching anti-Kaiju Grimm weapons to going mad. And maybe that was what had led to the first AI going rogue back in 1962. Who knew what happened then? But regardless, it couldn't hurt to give this Shashot AI a chance, could it?

And besides... he wanted to give this thing a serious payback for what it had done to him, nearly making him attack his friends and killing them.

That alone sent fury surging through him. His Aura began to flare as he looked up. "I trust you, Esebu," he said. "So... what's the plan?"

* * *

****TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS****

****COMMAND CENTER****

* * *

"Sir, we got good news! Fumikiri and Haifu have managed to expose the Black Heads as well as take down two of them and damaged one! Esebu took out another to save Nozoma from being captured, and now the team is preparing for the fight against the Mistery!" Futaba reported.

Director Hayasugi wasn't too surprised to hear the progress of the fight, but to hear that Nozoma almost captured was disturbing.

Whatever they wanted with him, it was clear that the enemy was now intrigued by the presence of these 'aliens' and were after them. And the only good thing was that the project's true nature wasn't even known of. In a way, the project was based on both lies and fact, relying on the lies to cover up the fact of the Drivers being mere teens. It made him feel a bit sick, but then again, who wouldn't feel sick in this kind of situation?

He grimaced and forced his nausea aside as he took in a breath to calm his stomach. He let it out before he opened his eyes, returning to the task at hand. "Is Nozoma safe?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Haifu got him to safety, and he is coming to right now," Futaba stated. "No doubt he'll be wanting to go back in and fight."

"Yes, but we can't let him. Not after this. Right now though, the mission is first and foremost: to take down the Mistery and those Black Heads," Hokuto remarked.

Futaba nodded and returned her gaze to the screen. "The only question is... how? So far there has been no sign of any weaknesses... least of all a core like with that Coal Walker..."

The AI's digital avatar flickered before his voice echoed over the speakers. "__If I may, I have run a detailed analysis of the Mistery based on the data that has been gathered over the course of the years. While there isn't much in the way of its capabilities aside from jamming, what __is__consistent is that there is always some sort of glowing orb secreted within its back.__"

Director Hayasugi's eyes went wide. "What? There's been no mention of any kind of orb in any of the reports that have been submitted and published!" he blurted.

"__Not in the officially __published__reports,__" Shashot clarified. "__The official reports were heavily censored because of fear that the Kaiju Grimm in question could appear at any given time. And based on what little I have been able to get, this orb seems to be heavily protected by a field of some kind.__"

Hokuto sat back in his seat, his eyes hardening. "Relay this to Esebu and his companions at once," he ordered the AI.

"Hai!" Shashot said.

* * *

****RAINBOW BRIDGE BATTLESPACE****

* * *

"__Esebu. This is Shashot.__"

Esebu's helm perked up at hearing the AI's voice. "Shashot!"

"__There has been a recent discovery in the composition of the Mistery,__" Shashot said.

"Huh? You serious?" Esebu blurted.

"__I am dead serious on this, Esebu,__" Shashot said, though the tone of his voice indicated displeasure at being questioned. The __Shinkalion__ gulped nervously, unsure of what the AI would do next. But nothing else happened, aside from communications resuming.

"__The Mistery has been noted in official Huntsman reports to contain some kind of glowing orb in its back, protected by a field of some kind. Very few have been able to find this orb and take it down, but if this orb can be taken out, then it stands to reason the Grimm would go down at the same time,__" he continued. "__So it is of the utmost importance that you and your team find it and take it out.__"

"We will. Trust me," Esebu said. "I'll relay this to the others at once."

The COMM signal shot down and he turned to face his teammates.

"Guys, I just got a message from Shashot," he stated.

"And what did he have to say?" Fumikiri asked.

Matagi said nothing, but his optics hardened as Esebu relayed the message. He glanced back at the Mistery as it launched another attack of scalding hot air at the trio, forcing them to dodge. Esebu rolled to the left, Fumikiri backflipped onto one of the pylons, and Matagi darted to the right, aiming his guns at the Mistery and firing at it. The bullets just passed through its body, making him growl in frustration.

"__Come now... surely you refuse to trust an AI? For all you know it could be tricking you...__" that dark voice hissed over the airwaves.

Matagi's optics flared as he looked to the Mistery as it seemed to sneer at them, the two remaining Black Heads hovering over them. Their optics flashed before those tentacles dove down, their bladed tips glinting in the dim light from the mist covered battlefield. Matagi's engine seemed to stop as he realized what was coming... They were aiming right for...__him!__

"__GET DOWN!"__ Esebu bellowed from further back.

"__MATAGI!__" Fumikiri yelled. "__DUCK!__"

"__GET DOWN!__" Shashot's voice roared in his COMM system.

But he couldn't move.

Terror, fear, and panic... they were all he could feel. He had been played... they all had. Played like fools right into a trap... and he was their weak link. His distrust of his own teammates and friends... and a possible new ally... had led them to this point.

He had no way to counter... He was dead... He saw his life flashing before his eyes...

And then it happened.

A blast of light cut through the air, and then the tentacles got shredded as something carved them into millions of pieces. Matagi glanced back, only to stare in shock as the forms of Nozoma and Haifu came running back in, this time with Seph right behind them. His silvery eyes were hard as he glanced to Matagi. "Hey, kid! Get your ass back in the game! You wanna kick this Kaiju's ass? Then stay focused and get serious!"

Matagi was baffled as to how Nozoma and Haifu had gotten back in the game, but he figured that maybe Seph had something to do with it. (He later learned that the hybrid __did__ have a hand in it, mostly in getting Nozoma to wake up and Haifu to accept going back into the fray. That would come later, though, he figured as he glanced to the trio of Grimm before them.)

His optics flared as he looked to his friends and teammates. "Any ideas?" he asked.

Esebu looked around, his optics pulsing as he ran through several ideas, but one of the main aspects was Matagi using his sniping abilities. __And __trusting in Shashot. He glanced to the red and white __Shinkalion__. "Matagi..."

His helm snapped to look at his leader.

"I know you don't trust any AI, but at this stage of the game you have to trust me," Esebu said. "If you can't trust Shashot, then at least trust __me__ when I say that we need his help, even if I don't like it myself."

Matagi looked down, uncertainty crossing his mind. But, now that he thought about it, he wouldn't trust anyone else with his life. And if he trusted Shashot enough to rely on his words and recommendations... then he could too.

He looked up, optics hardening into shards of golden crystal. "I do, Esebu."

The lead __Shinkalion__ flashed one optic in a wink. "Good. Now, we got a plan, but we need someone to take this thing out. And that's you, Matagi. At least from a distance. We'll keep the Black Heads busy. You get in and take out that orb, if it exists."

"__Hai!__" Matagi nodded once and darted forward, his objective clear in his thoughts.

His optics pulsed as he drew out his guns and spun them before he attached them in their cannon form to his shoulder guards. His Aura seethed as he revved the wheels on the sides of his feet, pushing himself to his limits in terms of mobility. The last two Black Heads, one of them damaged, lunged for the group, their tentacles blazing as Esebu activated his Wheelset Driver and Fumikiri summoned his shuriken. Nozoma, Seph, and Haifu went after one of the Black Heads while Esebu and Fumikiri attacked the other one. It became a battle of sheer skill to try and keep them at bay, but Matagi ignored the fighting behind him as he swerved around a cluster of cars. He could see the Mistery as it came at him with a blast of scalding hot air. He crouched and leapt over it, using his agility to great effect. He landed and sped at it from the ground, his wheels whirling.

"__Ah... so brave, and so bold... yet so foolish...__" that voice hissed from the mists.

Matagi ignored it.

"__Such foolishness will get your beloved companions killed... Do you really trust them to cover for you? What if it's the opposite in that they are covering only their own skins?__"

The unknown voice was teasing, mocking... trying to make him distrust his friends. But he ignored that and focused, much like a hunter, on the objective. His prey was in sight.

"__And what of that newcomer... an AI, I believe? Or is it someone new to your little team? Do you trust him as much as you claim, given what he could possibly do...?__"

Matagi crushed the doubt ruthlessly.

The Mistery screeched as it thrust an arm forward, intending to swamp Matagi in its misty clutches. But the red and white __Shinkalion__ aimed his guns and fired off a few shots at the appendage. Although they passed through it, the field that contained the mist was disrupted, allowing some to seep out and causing the creature to recoil as though in pain. And then he saw it.

Glinting red, hidden in between where the shoulder blades would've been on a human, was the orb. "I found it!" he cried.

"__Excellent!__" came Shashot's voice. "__Now you have to take it out!__"

"Any ideas on how to get up there?" Matagi asked, ignoring the fear building in his chest. Right now he needed help, and Shashot was the one to provide it as his friends and Nozoma were too busy elsewhere.

"__There are the suspension cables,__" the AI said. "__You can use those to get to the top of the nearest pylon, and then attack it from the rear. Its field is strongest there, but a sufficient boost in power will allow you to break down the barrier and take it__ __out.__"

"Oh... I have just the power to do that indeed!" Matagi growled, his optics flaring as his Aura began to glow brilliant red. "Because I am gonna give this thing some serious payback!"

"__Then go!__" Shashot ordered.

Matagi roared as he lunged forward, grabbing onto one of the cables and starting to shimmy up it like a monkey Faunus. The Mistery looked back, its red eyes gleaming as it slowly pivoted... far too slowly, Matagi noted. Its size may have been great, but due to the mist making up the composition of its body, it was slow. Far too slow to even counterattack properly! He seized on this and scrambled to the top of the cable and ran along the main cable to the pylon tower. His optics flashed as he leapt atop the tower and sprang off, his hydraulics giving him greater jumping power than a human wearing an exosuit. Matagi adjusted himself as he targeted the glowing red orb in the Mistery's back.

His friends' faces marched past his mind's eye as he clenched his fists, channeling his Aura into his cannons.

If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was trusting his instincts and senses. But the Mistery and those Black Heads took advantage of that and fooled him. They made him attack his friends and distrust them. They made him nearly kill them. And for that, he was about to deliver a __hell__ of a beatdown to this thing.

His cannons glowed a brilliant red, almost like a blazing red sunset, as he channeled his Aura into their barrels. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" His Aura began to return to its tri-colored state, the red Aura fusing into his cannons for his newest move. His optics flared as he finally let loose with his attack. "__****FUMIKIRI BARRAGE!****__"

The cannons roared their fury, sending a brilliant blazing red beam right for the Mistery's back. It couldn't turn in time to block it, and it proved justified as the blasts suddenly split into dozens of smaller shots, peppering the field containing the mist and causing it to seep out. The orb was now in plain sight. Matagi clenched his fists again, and increased the power output of his cannons. The blasts increased in power, striking the field... as well as the orb when they passed through the holes within it.

The Mistery screeched in agony before the orb shattered, causing the field containing the mist to vanish in a pulse of energy, the mist dissipating shortly after.

The red and white __Shinkalion__ landed on the deck of the bridge, denting it and making it sway a bit. He staggered, but regained his balance before he collapsed to his knees, panting heavily. "C...Crap... Didn't... Didn't think that... would take so much... out of me..." he gasped, falling to his hands and knees.

"Well, now you know how I felt," Esebu joked.

Matagi's helm snapped to look at the leader of the team as he emerged, his drill dripping with oil and several other fluids. Haifu, Nozoma, and Fumikiri all followed him, looking a little worse for the wear, but still alive. Seph hovered down, his silver wings arched before he smirked and gave a thumbs up.

"Heh. Yeah..." Matagi gave a weak nod as his friends helped him up.

"Good work," Seph remarked. "Just don't let yourself fall for this trick again." His face turned serious as he said those words. "Because trust is needed just as much as teamwork."

With that, the man turned and, with a flap of his wings, flew off.

Of course, no one knew what was going to happen later on down the line...

* * *

**_**_KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE UPDATE:_**_**

****NAME: Mistery****

****SPECIES: Kaiju****

****CLASS: Mega****

****BASIS: Humanoid****

****ABILITIES (UPDATED) : The full extent of the Mistery's abilities were unknown, but one ability was jamming of all communications, forcing Shashot to link into Tokyo Tower to boost the communications signals directed at the ****__****Shinkalions****__****. It also demonstrated the ability to use its misty form to launch blasts of scalding hot air at the team.****


	20. CAPTURE

Matagi gripped his guns as he stood across from Nozoma, whose optics were burning into his own.

The white __Shinkalion__ got into a fighting stance, one hand held out in front, the other flat at waist level, palm up. Matagi gauged this to be a martial artist stance so he adjusted accordingly, shifting his own stance with one foot back, the other forward.

The two stood in the middle of the vast chamber, staring one another down. Matagi studied his opponent, and Nozoma merely moved his head, as if cracking the metallic joints in his neck.

For a good while, it seemed like neither one would make a move. Matagi's frame tensed as he felt his hydraulics and joints stiffen in anticipation. Some small part of him wished to see what Nozoma was going to do, but the rest of him was screaming at him to be patient and wait for his adversary to make the first move. But when five minutes had passed, it became clear that Nozoma wasn't going to budge. So that meant he had to take the initiative himself.

Matagi aimed one of his guns and fired it, sending a round right for Nozoma's chest. But the white __Shinkalion__ leapt to the side, charging in with one fist drawn back. The red and white __Shinkalion__ retreated from the upcoming blow, using his mobility to great effect. He spun around, coming to a stop and aimed his guns before firing again. Nozoma flashed his optics before he broke into a run, his feet pounding the metal flooring before he leapt up, his left foot whipping out in a roundhouse kick that connected solidly with his helm. Or it would have had he not flared his Aura. Nozoma sprang back, flipping before he landed on his feet, hands raised to defend.

The other __Shinkalion__ shook his helm to dispel the aching feeling in his processor. He looked up, and he gripped his guns as he stood up straight. He spun his weapons a few times, connecting them to his shoulder guards in their cannon mode.

Nozoma seemed to smirk as he activated the energy blades on his wrists.

The two lunged towards each other, intent on finishing the fight.

* * *

****(****__Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics__****)****

****START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)****

****(****__The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons__****)****

****Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (****__The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all.__****)****

****GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING****

****Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (****__The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name__****)****

****Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (****__Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head__****)****

****Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (****__A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand__****)****

****Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (****__The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash__****)****

****Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (****__The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it__****)****

****Susumu koto dake omouto (****__He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly__****)****

****Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (****__The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura__****)****

****Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (****__Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half__****)****

****Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (****__The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back__****)****

****Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (****__The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen__****)****

****Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (****__The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance__****)****

****Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (****__The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks__****)****

****Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (****__The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha__****)****

****Ushinau koto dake omouto (****__The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo__****)****

****Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (****__The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by__****)****

****Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (****__The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades__****)****

****Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (****__Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave__****)****

****Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (****__The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it__****)****

****Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (****__The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light__****)****

****Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (****__They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them__****)****

****Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (****__The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world__****)****

****Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (****__The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color__****)****

****Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (****__The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves__****)****

****Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (****__The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them__****)****

****GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING****

* * *

**__**OPENING FILES:**__**

**__**CLASSIFIED**__**

**__**DECRYPTING...**__**

**__**FILES DECRYPTED**__**

**__**OPENING FILES: OKINAWA RUINS**__**

__The Okinawa Ruins are mysterious structures that have recently been unearthed on the island of Okinawa, Japan.__

__Located not too far from Little Tokyo, the island has recently become a hotspot of archaeological activity due to the discover of strange ruins dating back to, according to some, the Time of Awakening. However, upon recent discovery and study of the pictograms that were carved on the ancient walls, it was uncovered that these ruins are actually from the Forgotten Age, as they are far more advanced than anything anyone has seen. The ruined city of Andromeda is the only city that can come even close to the technology found here. The ruins have been documented and studied since the year 2000, bringing new findings to the community of archaeology and even engineering. While not as intact as the Iwo Jima Battle Site ruins, these ruins possess sufficient technological remains to be studied by our teams.__

__The ruins have been mapped out, showing that there was a vast port city here at one time. Remains of some ships have been found, but since they are so old and covered with debris from the waters of the Pacific Ocean, we can only theorize as to what they looked like. A few protrusions have been noted to resemble guns, but many mainstream theorists and archaeologists state that it is impossible for primitive peoples to have such technology. However, there are those who say that since we know so little about the Forgotten Age, it stands to reason that perhaps they did possess advanced technology.__

__Until further research can be conducted, there is little evidence to properly prove or disprove the theories listed above.__

**__**CLOSING FILES**__**

**__**TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE**__**

* * *

"When it comes to beliefs, everyone has something they believe in. But sometimes that can take the form of terrorism and anarchy, even going against the law." The man shifted in his seat before he looked up, revealing his appearance to the audience (you).

The man seated at the desk was in his thirties with short dark grey hair and light grey highlights in it. His eyes were grey, and he wore a uniform that resembled a conductor's uniform, but with several differences. The first was in that it was primarily black with light grey on the shoulders, outlined with gold. The second was that he wore on the left side of his chest a pin with the SDI insignia on it. The third difference was that he was missing the hat. He looked to the screen beside him and tapped a button on his keyboard.

Images of historical battles depicted in ruins came up on the monitor. "But what if it comes to history? Many have mainstream beliefs that are taught in school to ensure that history is not forgotten or repeated." The man tapped the keyboard and then the images changed to show historical footage, but doctored. "And yet, there are those who say otherwise, listing evidence and sometimes pseudo-science to disprove mainstream history. That alone can lead to conspiracy theories, and then it becomes hard to debunk it."

The man's hand flicked out and shut off the monitor. "So next time, do your research if someone tries to convince you of something that may not even be true." He smirked. "Maybe you could turn the tables on them and convince them otherwise. Who knows what you can do?"

* * *

****CHAPTER XIX - CAPTURE****

For Hokuto, things were just getting interesting.

Especially as the training was taking an interesting turn.

The kids were now sparring against one another to try and improve their skills in combat.

So far it was Nozoma against Esebu and his friends.

And so far it was two draws and one victory.

Now only Esebu was left to face him.

The first two combatants, Haifu and Fumikiri, had put up a hell of a fight, with Haifu proving to be an adept swordswoman and able to match Nozoma's martial arts training with her strikes. It also helped she had agility on her side, and the rabbit-like extensions on her helm were very useful when it came to her radar, allowing her to pick things up before they came her way, like Nozoma. So it was considered a draw when both met in the middle of the training room, Haifu's sword inches from Nozoma's neck, one of his energy blades to her throat.

Fumikiri was able to hold his own as well, relying on his ninjutsu and illusions to launch surprise attacks on Nozoma. In fact, he had come the closest to beating the white __Shinkalion__, only for Nozoma to counter that last strike he pulled. Both wound up in the same situation as Haifu had been in: Fumikiri had a kunai aimed at Nozoma's neck and Nozoma had an energy blade to the ninja __Shinkalion's __neck.

But Matagi had been his first victory. At first the fight had seemed to go in Matagi's favor, with him using his incredible mobility to avoid Nozoma's strikes and sniping at him from afar. But it soon became clear that while Matagi was a skilled marksman, he lacked in his close range capability. Alll he could do was punch and kick, but because Nozoma was a trained martial artist, it made sense he'd be able to beat the red and white __Shinkalion__ with ease. Although Matagi did manage to get a hit in on his face with a brutal right hook, it wasn't enough to defeat Nozoma. Matagi was beaten by a blow to the back of the neck, knocking him offline for a few hours.

So now, Esebu was the only one who had yet to face him.

And Nozoma was increasingly critical of their skills.

To Hokuto, that was something that needed to be addressed. Hopefully Esebu would be the one to defeat him and knock some sense into him.

The white __Shinkalion__ was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, as Esebu entered through the main doorway. Hokuto could see that Esebu's optics were burning as he approached the center of the training chamber.

Director Hayasugi reached over and keyed the speakers before bringing the mike to his lips.

"Okay, you two. The rules are simple: the first one to be knocked offline or out of the training space is the winner. No fatal blows, no losses of limbs or wounds that could lead to stasis. Other than that, it's fair game. So, show me what you got."

Esebu's voice crackled over the COMM system. "__Oh, I've been waiting for this for some time!__" he remarked, moving his head as if cracking his neck joints. He proceeded to mimic cracking his knuckles as well.

"__If only to show you how insignificant you really are in terms of combat ability,__" Nozoma muttered. "__Your combat record, while decent, has relied mostly on luck and desperation. You have to know how to fight. Using moves from a kid's show is not a good way to fight.__"

"__Says the one who just ditched us during that Mistery attack!__" Esebu snarled as he got into a fighting stance.

Nozoma scoffed as he settled into a martial arts stance, his right hand held up and the left flat at waist level. Esebu and Nozoma both stood as still as statues, waiting for the other to make their move.

The cat Faunus nodded. "Begin!"

Esebu was the first to make his move. He charged in, treads whirling, as he clenched a fist, drawing it back to deliver a blow to Nozoma's smug faceplate. Nozoma snorted through his vents as he brought one arm up to block Esebu's punch. He then countered with a punch of his own, connecting it with the other __Shinkalion's__ lower torso armor, making him stagger back before he regained his balance and prepared for another strike. Nozoma was on the move at that moment, his left foot coming up in a nasty roundhouse, aimed right for Esebu's chest. But the blue and white __Shinkalion__ anticipated this and leapt back, skidding on his feet as he glanced up, his optics flashing green.

"__Just like you to charge right in,__" Nozoma remarked. "__No plan, no nothing. I'm actually surprised you can even plan.__"

Esebu's shoulders tensed and he hissed through his vents. He didn't even rise to the bait. Instead, he started to circle, keeping a wary optic on his opponent. Nozoma took note of this and tilted his head. Of course, Hokuto knew that Esebu was up to something. He always seemed to be.

And he was right.

Down in the training facility, Esebu __was__ up to something. He knew from seeing the training footage from his friends' fights that Nozoma was a skilled close quarters combatant, and he was also judging best on how to fight him. He wasn't just acting. He was trying to think. Like any good engineer, he needed to know the weaknesses of any potential structure to make sure it would be able to withstand a blow to that weakness. And it was the same in combat, too. To defeat an enemy, one had to know their weaknesses and strengths.

It was also the same for any Hunter or Huntress. To defeat an enemy, one had to know their weaknesses and their strengths.

Esebu dimmed his optics a shade as he studied Nozoma up close.

'__Okay. So close quarters, he's a deadly adversary. He's well trained. Karate, years of training in the combat style. Long range is good, but not very effective as he can get in close to counter it. Mid range seems to be the best option for fighting against him,__' he mused to himself. '__So that's what's gonna work best against him.__' Then he gulped softly. '__Or, at least I hope so...__'

Esebu could sense Nozoma was watching him as he held out a hand and summoned his Wheelset Drill to his grasp. He clenched his hand around the grip and resumed circling. His very frame was tense, systems and hydraulics poised for his next move. He waited for Nozoma to make his move, and he was rewarded when the white __Shinkalion__ judged he was not expecting a strike. Or so it seemed. Nozoma's fist lashed out to connect with his left cheek, but Esebu saw that coming and ducked below the punch, catching his opponent off guard. His optics gleamed and he reacted by thrusting his drill towards Nozoma's chest. The white __Shinkalion__ leapt back, his optics locking onto Esebu's. He rolled his shoulders. "Well... that was unexpected. But not good enough."

The blue and white leader didn't respond as he scooted back using his treads. He merely squared his shoulders and hefted his drill. He knew Nozoma would no doubt know about his Wheelset Driver, seeing as how he had seen him use it during the Misertree attack. But the one thing he __didn't__ know about were the Dust dispensers hidden in his drill. And actually, Esebu had no idea if they could be switched out for another type of Dust. He gripped his weapon tightly as he finally made his move, using his treads to dash towards Nozoma. But unlike before, he shifted his stance as Nozoma attempted to use a brutal back kick, and he spun out of the way, starting to weave and swerve, much like when he was rollerblading down the streets of Tokyo in the summertime. Nozoma took note of this and a light chuckle escaped his vocalizer. "Well, you sure seem to have running down pat."

"Oh, believe me, I am not even thinking of running!" Esebu snarled as he dodged another blow, this time delivering one of his own, right for Nozoma's cheek. His free hand connected with his opponent's faceplate, a brutal left cross that left him staggering back from the force of the blow. Esebu smirked to himself in his thoughts as he drew his hand back and flexed it; the pistons on his shovel guards flexed with the motion. Nozoma looked up, a dent now visible on his metal cheek. He rubbed it, his optics flaring in surprise.

"...Okay... maybe you do have some potential... but it will do you little good in the long run," Nozoma remarked.

Esebu just rumbled in response. He watched as Nozoma summoned his energy blades, and his engine leapt into his throat. He gulped nervously. He was getting serious. And with those blades, he was a force to be reckoned with. He shifted his stance, bringing his drill up in front of his chest in a defensive manner. Nozoma took note of this. "Oh? Think that will help protect you?"

"You'd be surprised..." Esebu growled lowly. He flared his Aura, feeling it encompass his frame in seconds. Nozoma's Aura flared as well, covering his own frame.

Both __Shinkalions__ stood there facing one another, Esebu holding his drill and Nozoma wielding his energy blades.

Then Nozoma moved first.

His left blade came up in a slashing motion, but Esebu shifted his drill to take it, deflecting the blade in a shower of sparks. The white __Shinkalion__ struck with his right blade, but the leader adjusted his stance and blocked with his drill, catching Nozoma by surprise. He wasn't even attempting to strike with it like he had expected. The edges of the drill were acting as guards, keeping his blades from even delivering a strike to the mechanisms within. His optics pulsed thoughtfully as he pulled back from Esebu, who kept his drill in front of himself.

"That's unexpected..." Nozoma mused.

Esebu didn't answer. He started to circle again, and then he lunged, his drill spinning up to full power as he channeled his Aura into his hydraulics.

The white __Shinkalion__ tensed, anticipating the strike. Esebu thrust his drill forward, hoping to deliver a blow to Nozoma's left arm. Maybe if he shattered those blades, then he could fight on more even footing.

Nozoma watched calmly before he shifted his stance, his left foot slipping back and his right foot forward. His right arm came up in a block and his left hand drawn back for a blow. Esebu noticed this and his hand shifted, this time aiming for not one of Nozoma's limbs... but the __ground beneath his feet!__

Nozoma's optics flashed as he saw this, and Esebu jammed his drill into the ground, creating a crack that snaked along the floor of the training chamber. He looked down in shock, surprised that Esebu had actually planned this. The crack crept closer and he actually staggered as his balance was disrupted. Esebu let go of his drill as he brought up a knee, delivering a blow to Nozoma's lower torso before he reached behind and pulled his drill free from its hole in the floor. The blue and white __Shinkalion__ then danced out of Nozoma's range, hefting his drill over one shoulder with a smirk in his optics. "Seems like your balance is key," he remarked.

The white __Shinkalion__ glanced back at Esebu with a glare in his light blue optics. "That was a dirty trick!" he muttered.

"Nah. I'm just observant. I take note of things. And I adapt accordingly," Esebu explained.

Nozoma's optics dimmed a shade at those words. '__So it seems he has an adaptive fighting style... That would mean he'd be much harder to take down. But it can only work so well. When it comes to long range, he's lacking. And his abilities are centered around that drill of his. Perhaps if I take it out...__' He hefted his arms and his blades ignited again, springing forth eagerly.

"Uh uh. Not happening," Esebu snarked as he stood up straight. "And it's about time someone got some sense knocked into you in regards to our ability to fight."

"Fine. Then show me you __can__ fight!" Nozoma growled.

The two __Shinkalions__ got into fighting stances, Esebu with his drill held out to the side, Nozoma with his arms up, energy blades in a defensive formation. Both Auras began to swirl around their respective frames, and Esebu tensed. He expected Nozoma to deliver a powerful blow to knock him out, or at least knock the wind from his intakes. That was how he fought. He waited for his opponents to come in and then he used martial arts against them. While Esebu himself was no martial artist, he did know that deliver power to their blows, a martial artist used their hips to rotate at the waist. And that meant he had an idea as to how to fight back. A few moves from __Gundrazer__ popped into his processor, and he nodded subtly at the ones he needed.

Nozoma made his move, pushing off the ground, thrusters on his back boosting his speed. Esebu jerked back in surprise before he regained himself and sprang back, landing a short distance away from the other __Shinkalion__. He hefted his drill as he started to channel his Aura into it. But he was caught off guard when Nozoma spun around, pushing off the ground again, this time whipping his left foot out in a devastating roundhouse. Esebu gaped before Nozoma's foot connected with his faceplate, the worst of the blow deflected by his Aura. The blue and white __Shinkalion__ went skidding on his back, rolling and coming to a stop lying on his side, his drill somehow __still__ clasped in his hand.

Esebu grunted as he staggered to his feet, rubbing his cheek with one hand. "Okay... That was unexpected..." he muttered. Then he glanced up, his green optics flaring. "But not good enough!"

Nozoma merely held up a hand and waved it in a taunt.

He took advantage of it and lunged, his left fist clenching before he thrust it forward, keeping his drill held back and out of the way. Nozoma took note of that, wondering what he was up to. He got his answer when Esebu's fist was blocked by his arm, only for the other __Shinkalion's__ drill to come up at his face, the tip barely scratching his cheek as he leaned back in surprise. But that was just the beginning. Using the momentum from the thrust, Esebu spun his frame to the right, his right foot coming up to slam itself into his side, followed by a thrust kick that made the white __Shinkalion__ stagger back in shock, his hand flying for his left hip joint.

Esebu watched as Nozoma looked up, a low hum coming from his chest. "Okay... maybe you __do__ have some skill," he noted. "You knew where to strike me."

The lead __Shinkalion__ didn't answer. Instead he braced himself for Nozoma's next move.

Nozoma lunged forward, his Aura starting to channel itself across his blades. Esebu braced himself and thrust his drill out in front of him, pressing the trigger three times. The Dust dispensers on the sides of his drill slid open, and that familiar light blue mist began to seep out, covered by the brilliant blue Aura that started to seethe around his frame. Esebu wasn't about to hold back against him. And neither was Nozoma.

Esebu's treads began to whir in reverse as he let the torque from the drill pull him along. Then, once he felt the drill shuddering in his grasp, he shut down his treads and let the weapon pull him forward. A battle cry escaped his vocalizer as he felt the icy coldness of the mist seeping into his frame. "RAAAAAAAH! **__**WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!**__**"

Nozoma's optics flashed in surprise at this, and Esebu knew he had won.

* * *

****TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS****

****MAIN OFFICE****

* * *

The five kids stood in front of the desk as the director looked over their training scores.

He scanned over Ryuji's and sighed. "Well, your training scores were top notch," he admitted. "But your attitude was not quite what I expected, seeing as how you're so critical of their skills and age."

"And for good reason," Ryuji stated. "They're kids. And kids should not be involved in this."

"Oi! We're just as skilled as you!" Tsuranuki retorted. "And I just so happened to kick your butt!"

Director Hayasugi nodded. "That you did. You also adapted to the situation at hand, much like you did in combat against the Kaiju Grimm," he said. "But don't get cocky over this. Egomania is one way Hunters meet their downfall."

Tsuranuki nodded, remembering what he had heard about that wig maker and her golden child son from his grandfather on his mom's side of the family. He recalled that his mom's dad, Takashi Shiro, had actually met with the wig maker's son and called him the worst Huntsman he had ever met, given how he had always been spoiled and never taught any real lessons in life on how to actually __earn__ something. The man's name had been...was it Horst, or something? Anyway, he had been nothing but spoiled and as such, was seen as an idiot by those who met him.

He brushed the thought aside though and looked to the director of the project as he brought up the rest of the group's training scores.

"Miku did fairly well, as did Shinobu. But then again, both have been training in ninjutsu and kendo for some time," he noted. "However, Miku, your motion sickness keeps holding you back."

"__Hai,__" the rabbit Faunus muttered. "Even if I take medication for it prior to Linking."

Hokuto rubbed his head with his fingers. "Well, you do show promise, so just keep working hard and hopefully you will get past this."

She nodded. "Yes, sir!"

Then he directed his attention to Akita who had his eyes closed as he leaned against the wall. "Akita, your scores are excellent in regards to your marksmanship. However, your close quarters skills are lacking, so that will be one aspect you'll be working on during your next sessions," he stated.

Akita opened his eyes and nodded once.

Director Hayasugi finally directed his attention to Tsuranuki who had his arms crossed as he sat back in his chair, glaring at the taller kid beside him.

"Tsuranuki."

The boy looked over. "Hm?"

"Your training scores were surprisingly high," Hokuto remarked. "In fact, I'd say that puts you up there in close quarters combat with Ryuji."

"__WHAT!?__" Both looked at the director in shock. "How can __I__ be on par with __him?!__" they snapped, pointing at the other.

"Tsuranuki may not be well trained, but he is one hell of an adaptive fighter," the director explained. "He uses his surroundings to his advantage, as well as take a few tricks from his opponents, as I'm sure you recall."

Ryuji growled as he rubbed his side where he had been kicked. It may not have carried over to his human form, but it still ached slightly in his mind.

"Tsuranuki also has shown a capability to plan, although I do have to admit that a lot of his plans relied a little too much on luck," Hokuto continued. "But that is why you have to train harder to balance out your weaknesses."

The kids nodded as one while Ryuji rolled his eyes.

Akita finally decided to ask the question that was on all their minds at that point. His eyes hardened as he narrowed them at the director. "Director, during that fight..."

"Hm?" Hokuto looked at him. "Yes?"

"During the fight with the Mistery and the Black Heads, we heard a voice... it wasn't like anything we had heard before, and it called itself the Devil..." Akita's eyed became shards of amethyst as he looked the cat Faunus in the eyes. "And something tells me that Project SKL was developed for another purpose... am I right?"

Hokuto froze, surprised that the boy had seen through so quickly. Well, then again, he wasn't too surprised, but still...

He reached up and rubbed his face with one hand before he sighed. "Akita, you have no idea how right you are..." he muttered. "The whole project __was__ developed for not just deterring the Kaiju and giving people hope, but also for another purpose, like you surmised."

He looked up, letting his hand fall to the desk. "It was developed to try and gather knowledge about the ones who send the Kaiju."

"Just who would even send those beasts?" Tsuranuki asked.

"That... unfortunately I can't say exactly __who __sends them, or why because we lack that information..." Hokuto began, "...because that is classified until the final candidate has been found... or recruited, actually."

"What about a name? Can you give us that, at least?" Miku inquired.

Here the cat Faunus sighed. "Technically I can't, but for your sake, I think it's safe to say." His eyes hardened into shards of ice. "His name is Sammael, and he is the most dangerous man you may ever face."

"Why?" Miku wondered.

"Because of how cunning, smart, and shrewd he is..." Hokuto's voice trailed off.

* * *

****DARKLANDS****

****SAMMAEL'S LAIR****

* * *

"__In truth, no one knows much else about him. Rumor has it he can plan for almost anything.__"

Sammael observed the fight on the Rainbow Bridge of Tokyo Bay, his red eyes flickering as he watched through his companion's screen.

"__Is that why Shashot was developed?__" Shinobu's voice asked.

The huge Gundam rumbled as he turned to Sammael, as if expecting approval.

"__That's precisely why, Shinobu. Shashot is designed to counter anything he may throw at us. At least, in theory, anyway.__"

The Fallen turned to him and gave a smirk, nodding his approval.

* * *

****TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS****

****MAIN OFFICE****

* * *

The director was silent for a moment as the kids digested this information.

"Then, this Sammael... How is he the one who sends those Kaiju?" Ryuji asked, his tail twitching behind him.

"That part is classified until the full team is assembled," Hokuto explained. "And technically, this whole project is just desperate guesswork. We don't even know if it will hold up, least of all if Shashot can actually counter any of Sammael's moves... We've taken all kinds of contingencies into consideration, but we fear we may have overlooked countless others."

His voice then turned grim. "Or if the project will even succeed... especially if the seal on Mount Fuji is broken somehow..."

The kids all looked in the direction of the iconic mountain of Japan. "So to be frank, this whole project is just desperation taking hold, and if it works, good, then if not, it fails, right?" Ryuji questioned.

"Simply put, but yes," Hokuto said, annoyance flickering across his features. "But it has held up so far beyond expectations. It's just we don't know __how long__ it will last."

The cheetah Faunus frowned. "I see..."

Tsuranuki finally took the chance to speak. "Uh, sir, so... back on topic. This project was designed to primarily fight Kaiju and give hope, but also to gather data, so... does this mean we have to download data on each Kaiju to the database every time we fight one?"

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yes. So whenever you get back here, you will wirelessly link to the database and upload whatever data you manage to acquire. This way we can anticipate another strike and plan accordingly."

The kids nodded. "__Hai!__"

Of course, things were about to take a turn for the worse...

* * *

****TOKYO****

****MITSUBISHI ICHIGOKAN MUSEUM****

* * *

Hayato sighed as he sat outside the museum entrance, listening to the cars and people coming and going around him.

He had planned on spending the day with his friends, but they were too busy to even spare a moment to be with him.

"Stupid drills..." he muttered. "I wish those Kaiju Grimm never showed up to begin with..."

"Oh, my dear..."

The sound of that voice...

His head snapped up and his eyes widened as he recognized it. '__Oh, shit...! Not her!__' he thought, panic surging through his body. He bolted to his feet and whirled around, backing up just as a hand barely missed his shoulder. He stood there, muscles tense, as the fox Faunus lowered her hand, her tail swishing behind her. Her pinkish red eyes gleamed as she smirked. "You poor thing..." she murmured. "I know exactly how you feel..."

The boy staggered back as she took a step forward. "Just relax. I'm not going to do anything. I just want to offer you a place in our sanctuary," Suzaku Akimi said as she spread her arms, as if willing to let him come to her for a hug.

Hayato didn't even bother to stick around as he turned and ran for it, trying to lose her in the crowd around him.

He bolted right past a nearby camera, which happened to be linked into the main systems of the SDI servers where Shashot was located. And that camera pivoted to watch as the Faunus darted after the terrified youth. The lens narrowed and adjusted its focus, homing in on her face and then the image flashed red, the word __DANGER!__ flashing on it repeatedly before shifting its focus to Hayato.

The camera swiveled to the left, observing as the boy darted across the street, only for the female fox Faunus to dart ahead and leap over the youth, landing in front of him to cut him off.

On the other end of the camera, Shashot's sensors triggered and his voice echoed into the main office, where Tsuranuki and the others were.

"__Director Hayasugi, I'm sorry to interrupt the meeting, but this is urgent!__" the AI remarked.

The director looked up at the main monitor on his desk as it flickered before a small window popped up, showing the avatar of the AI. "What is it?" Hokuto asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Here Shashot's virtual eyes turned hard. "__It's that fox Faunus. Suzaku Akimi. She's targeted your son.__"

"Dammit!" Hokuto swore as he punched the desk.

However, that was when the K-Sensors were triggered.

Alarms began to wail as the city's sirens kicked on, and then came the familiar female voice over the speakers.

"Not now!" Hokuto cried. "A Kaiju attack at the same time?!"

Akita's eyes narrowed as he tried to consider a plan. If there __was__ a Kaiju attack, and there always was one if the K-Alert went off, then that meant they needed to deploy, but also there was Hayato to consider. He couldn't let his friend be captured by that woman... Not after everything they had done to try and keep him safe. He gritted his teeth as he wracked his brains for anything.

"We split up."

"Huh?" Akita, his eyes landing on Tsuranuki as he stood up from his chair.

"We split the team in two," he said.

He turned to the director. "If you approve of this, sir," he added. "Given the circumstances though, that seems to be our best course of action."

Hokuto pursed his lips as he tented his fingers. He did realize the boy did have a point. Then he turned to Shashot's image on his computer monitor. "What say you?"

"__It is risky, but doable. Provided that the teams are picked appropriately, the plan has a 75% chance of success, barring any difficulties from the Faunus,__" the AI replied. "__Also it depends on the Kaiju Grimm that surfaces. And where.__"

The director narrowed his eyes as he considered his options.

On one hand, this did allow them to tackle two birds with one stone. But at the same time, it cut their fighting strength for dealing with Kaiju in half. Still, it all depended on the teams chosen. And they didn't have much time, if his gut was right on this. He closed his eyes and was silent for a moment.

The tension in the room was broken only by the wailing of the klaxons and the voice of the announcer as she directed people to safety within the Kaiju bunkers. Then he opened his eyes. "Tsuranuki, pick the teams."

The boy jerked, surprised as he pointed at himself.

"Yes, you. Your idea, your teams," Director Hayasugi said.

Tsuranuki gulped as he glanced over the team, trying to figure out the best options.

From what he knew, Ryuji was a skilled martial artist, and his fight against him proved that. So he would best be dealing with the Kaiju. That one was a given. Then there was Miku, who was a skilled swordswoman, but her motion sickness was a crippling weakness if she was caught off guard with it. But since Suzaku wielded a katana herself, it made sense to have a swordsman close by to deal with her. He selected her for the team to save Hayato. And he himself was going on that team as well. Akita and Shinobu both were skilled hunters and, when coupled with Shinobu's ninjutsu, it made sense that the two would work well together. And they could give Ryuji cover fire if they dealt with the Kaiju.

He finally squared his shoulders and nodded. "I got it," he said.

"Then let's hear it."

"Okay. Here's the team roster," Tsuranuki began. "Me and Miku will be the ones to save Hayato from Suzaku. She's skilled in using a katana, and Miku is good at kendo. So, if the two clash, then I can get Hayato to safety. As for the Kaiju team, that's easy: Ryuji, Shinobu and Akita." Here he looked at his two friends and Ryuji. "Akita and Shinobu can use their long range and ninjutsu to cover Ryuji while he deals with the Kaiju in close quarters combat."

Hokuto's eyes widened in mild surprise. "I see," he mused. Then he directed his attention to Shashot, who, anticipating the unasked question, had already run several simulations repeatedly.

"__The team roster will not enable a 75% chance of success,__" he said.

Tsuranuki looked down in worry, only to perk up at Shashot's next words.

"__The rosters outlined will enable a 90% chance of success.__"

The boy smirked. "Glad that worked out!" he remarked, rubbing a finger under his nose slightly.

"__Yes. But there is still a chance of failure. Remember that,__" Shashot countered. His green eyes hardened. "__Also, I would advise you have a backup plan of some sort lest your original one fail.__"

"Oh, I got an idea..." Tsuranuki remarked, his smirk growing. "And this one will get that fox Faunus something to really think about..."

* * *

****TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS****

****LAUNCH BAY****

* * *

The three __shinkansen__ revved their engines as they waited for the signal to launch.

"__Okay, you three. We just got confirmation on the Kaiju. Its code name is Mighty Crab, and as its name implies, it is based off of a king crab,__" Futaba explained as images of the Kaiju appeared on their HUDs.

Matagi's engine rumbled at the sight. "That's going to be hard to beat," he remarked.

"Not if you know where to hit it," Fumikiri retorted. "And that would be at the joints."

Nozoma was silent as he studied the images. Then he spoke directly to Futaba. "I'm not even thrilled about being the muscle for these guys," he grumbled.

"__Just go with it,__" Futaba growled.

Nozoma snorted, but let it slide as he awaited the signal to launch.

The signal turned green and three of the six tunnels slid open, exposing the interiors.

The three __Shinkalions__ released their brakes and put more power to their wheels.

"Matagi, E6 Komachi..."

"Fumikiri, E3 Tsubasa..."

"Nozoma, N700A..."

"__Shuppatsu shinkō!__" the three declared.

Matagi gunned his engine to full as he entered the tunnel first. The doors closed shut behind him and he pushed himself to full throttle as he flicked on his lights. Worry for Hayato briefly flickered through his processor, but he shoved it aside as he gunned his engine to full. '__Tsuranuki... please keep Hayato safe...__' he thought as he gave a blast of his horn.

* * *

****TOKYO STATION****

****SURFACE****

* * *

Tsuranuki's heart was pounding as he vaulted over a nearby bench, approaching the station plaza. Miku ran beside him, her kendo sword held at the ready, her eyes flicking around as she used her enhanced senses to try and pick up Hayato. He could tell she was worried for their friend as well, since her ears were flat against her head.

He skidded to a stop at the intersection and scanned left and right, his hand gripping his drill tightly.

"C'mon... there's gotta be a sign of him around here somewhere!" he muttered.

Miku narrowed her green eyes before she closed them, raising her rabbit ears up and pivoting them. The seconds seemed to stretch on for eternity, and Tsuranuki felt sweat start to run down his skin as he shifted impatiently on his feet. Every second was a second too late, and they needed as much time as possible to try and find the cat Faunus.

Her eyes snapped open and she turned, pointing down the street to the left. "There!" she remarked.

"Which way?" Tsuranuki asked, relying on her to guide them to Hayato's location.

"It's faint, but I can hear the sounds of battle," Miku clarified as she ran ahead, her sword coming out in a flash of wood. She led the boy down the road towards the street just ahead. The rabbit Faunus peeled to the left, her feet pounding the sidewalk as people scattered to make way for her and her friend. The fact their weapons were out helped, Tsuranuki figured, as the duo dashed to the intersection of Daimyo-Koji Avenue and Marunouchi Second Street. Her gaze hardened as she spotted the first sign of an explosion, and Tsuranuki gritted his teeth as he saw the smoke curling upwards.

"We gotta move!" he snarled.

The rabbit Faunus nodded and both broke out into a run, their feet pounding the pavement as they ran.

Miku's ears flicked back against her head and Tsuranuki's eyes narrowed. "Please..." he muttered.

A second explosion rocked the area, and smoke curled up from further down. It wasn't too far, just beyond Marunouchi 3rd Street. "That came from Babasaki Street!" Miku exclaimed.

"That's where the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum is!" Tsuranuki realized. "But why's Hayato over there?"

"Maybe he tried to lose her in the crowd," the rabbit Faunus surmised.

The boy hissed as he realized she had to be right. Growing up in Tokyo all their lives had given the kids a depth of knowledge of the city's layout that they took full advantage of. So the two kids peeled to the right, darting across a crosswalk to the other side of the road they were on.

Now Tsuranuki could see the museum just up ahead.

A fire was already starting to burn, and people were already calling in the emergency services. The boy could hear sirens wailing in the background as the K-Alert rang behind as well. The double sirens was enough to make his hair stand on end, but he ignored it as he bolted for the main entrance to the museum.

His eyes landed on Hayato's shape as he ran for it, trying to avoid the shape of the fox Faunus as she sprang overhead, flipping and landing in front of the kid. His magenta eyes were wide in terror as he backed up, and that was when her hand lashed out, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him close. Suzaku's pink Aura swirled around her, and her eyes began to glow as she pulled the terrified cat Faunus into a hug, as if comforting him. Tsuranuki however, saw that it was not a hug; it was a way to keep the boy from squirming away. His eyes hardened as his Aura flared around his body. "Miku, do something!" he cried.

The rabbit Faunus was already in motion before he even finished his order. Her Aura glowed brightly as it swirled around her sword, covering it in a shimmering green, purple, and white wrapping. She let out a harsh battle cry as she leapt into the air, catching the fox Faunus off guard. She turned, and her eyes widened as the girl brought her blade down hard on Suzaku's head, the brunt of the blow deflecting off the Satyra member's Aura. Miku houwever was n[t down yet. Her foot lashed out, connecting solidly with the older Faunus's cheek, sending her staggering back as she let go of Hayato. Miku landed on the ground as Hayato slumped, his eyes a bit glazed from having made eye contact with Suzaku.

Tsuranuki's heart leapt into his throat and he bolted for his friend. "Hayato!"

The cat Faunus groaned as the glazed look vanished, revealing those magenta eyes he was so used to seeing. But to be on the safe side, he came to a stop not that far from the cat Faunus. "Hayato?"

Hayato looked over in his direction, and those eyes morphed at first into fear and hatred, sending Tsuranuki's heart rate skyrocketing. He instinctively tightened his grip on his drill as his muscles tensed, but then he relaxed when Hayato's eyes widened in recognition and a laugh escaped him as he ran over, embracing the taller kid.

"Tsuranuki!" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I wasn't sure you'd come..."

The boy smirked. "Hey, I said we'd be here for ya, didn't I?" he joked, rubbing the Faunus's hair. Hayato laughed a bit, only to have his breath catch in his throat as he saw something behind his friend.

"__BEHIND YOU!__" he screamed.

Tsuranuki looked back, and his eyes hardened as his teeth bared themselves. He tensed and, in a surprising move, grabbed Hayato and pulled him down just as his foot lashed out in a sweep kick, knocking Suzaku's feet out from under her. That gave Miku a chance to whip her sword out to connect with the woman's chest, causing her to gasp and cough as she landed on her back, the wind knocked from her lungs.

He turned back to Hayato as he pulled the youth to his feet. "C'mon!"

Hayato nodded and the trio ran for it as fast as they could.

Suzaku, however, was not down for the count yet...

* * *

****TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS****

****MAIN OFFICE****

* * *

Hokuto nervously sat at his desk, eyes locked onto the main monitor showing the exterior of the station and the Marunouchi Building just across the street. He could already see emergency fire services and personnel arriving on the scene to deal with the fire outbreak at the museum, but he couldn't see his son or his friends anywhere.

Briefly he feared that Suzaku had gotten to his son, and a pit of despair began to form in his stomach. He couldn't bear the thought of his own son fighting against the very people he called friends, or his own family. He gritted his teeth and bowed his head in prayer to whatever deity was looking out for them.

He looked up a moment later, and his heart leapt in joy as he saw Hayato, Tsuranuki, and Miku running past one of the security cameras. From the looks of things, the two had managed to get to him before Suzaku had, and that made him feel relieved as he sat back in his chair, sighing in relief. Now all they needed to do was somehow elude or deter Suzaku...

And he hoped that Tsuranuki had a plan, or was coming up with one...

* * *

****TOKYO STATION****

****MAIN ENTRANCE****

* * *

Tsuranuki scanned the surroundings, his eyes narrowed.

Already he could see a few people exiting the ticket counters and his gaze snapped to Hayato. "Hayato, which trains come through here on a regular basis?"

"The Kodama train, along with the Hikari and Nozomi, run through here frequently," the cat Faunus rattled off. "Why?"

"Just trust me! I got an idea! Miku, take Hayato to the Marunouchi Building! I'll catch up with you shortly! Thirty minutes tops!" Tsuranuki told the two. Miku nodded and grabbed Hayato's arm, earning a yelp from him as she dragged him off. Tsuranuki meanwhile pulled out his wallet and plucked out some technos before bolting to the ticket counter.

He wasn't sure if his idea would even work, but it was the best bet he had. The only issue was if she actually bought the bait and lost focus on Hayato. Otherwise his plan was moot and Hayato was doomed, along with the rest of the team. He had to hope to Glob for the best.

And it was as if Glob had heard his prayers.

Not even ten minutes later, Suzaku came bounding into the station, her katana out and people scattering at the sight of her. Screams resounded as she slashed with her sword, intent on cutting through anyone who stood in her way. Tsuranuki, holding his purchase in one hand, stood before her at the gates.

"This is as far as you go, boy..." Suzaku purred, her tail swishing behind her.

"Oh, I don't think so..." Tsuranuki growled. "This is only the start of the trip!"

Suzaku laughed at his attempt to intimidate her. "You really think you can intimidate me, human boy? I'm the one you should be afraid of."

The boy didn't even flinch as she pulsed her Aura. Instead he flared his own Aura in response and got into a fighting stance.

'__I have to time this just right... Otherwise this won't work,__' he thought. He swallowed nervously as the two stood facing each other down.

People had scattered from the fighters, but a few brave pedestrians were peering around the columns of the station, and Suzaku glared at them, making them pull back.

And Tsuranuki took his chance as he charged.

A cry escaped his throat as he thrust his drill forward, trying to impact the hilt of her sword. But she deflected it as she heard him incoming, and she grabbed him by the front of his shirt with her free hand. Tsuranuki wrapped his free hand around her sword, as if trying to pull it away from her. She bought the bait and started to throw the boy over her shoulder, and he seized his chance to slip the purchase into her shirt pocket. She tossed Tsuranuki away from her and chuckled as he landed on his side, rolling for a bit, coming to a stop near the railroad tracks for one of the bullet trains.

The kid staggered to his feet, eyes narrowed as he held up a hand and flipped her the bird. The Faunus lunged for Tsuranuki, but he reacted by diving into the opened doorway for the __Kodama 500__ bullet train, Suzaku following shortly after. Tsuranuki though had no intention on going on a trip with her, so he rolled out of the train just as the door hissed shut, and he stood up before holstering his drill and turning to face the train as it began to pull out.

Suzaku, apparently realizing she had been tricked, ran over to the door and started pounding on it as the __shinkansen__ exited the station. Tsuranuki gave a false salute, winking at her as she screamed in fury.

The __shinkansen__ vanished from sight as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Now to get back to Hayato..." he muttered.

* * *

****MARUNOUCHI BUILDING****

****BASEMENT****

* * *

"Why bring me down here?" Hayato asked as Miku guided him down the stairs.

"For your own protection," Miku explained. "And for good reason, too."

"__I thought I saw those kids again. They came this way!__"

"Oh, crap... Security!" Miku hissed. "Keep going straight and duck into the nearest room! I'll join you once I lure them away!"

Hayato was confused, but nodded as he did as she instructed.

Of course, he had no idea just what he was getting into...


	21. SWORD

Tsuranuki peeked out from behind a column as the security guards ran past his hiding place.

He panted as he ducked behind it again, checking one last time before he bolted for the elevator shafts. This was his last chance before the guards came back around and either caught him or arrested him.

And he wasn't about to let that happen.

His heart pounded like a drumbeat in his chest as he arrived at the elevator shafts. He grabbed onto one of the cables and slid down it, just as he heard security guards darting past the shafts. He reached the bottom of the shaft just and ducked into the basement hallway just as he heard one of the guards call down it. "_Hey! If anyone's down here, it's not safe! All civilians are to be escorted to the Kaiju bunkers for their own safety!_"

'_Yeah, right! I'm not a civilian, bub!_' Tsuranuki thought as he ran down the corridor towards the location of the Pod Room. He ducked around some debris and leftover equipment from the renovation process just as the building shook slightly. '_Seems like the others have already engaged in combat,_' he mused. '_Better hurry before they run into trouble!_'

The boy spotted the concealed doorway as it slid open, and Miku poked her head out. "Tsuranuki!" she called.

He dashed for the door as she stepped aside. He entered the room and the door hissed shut, the false wall sliding into place to hide it from the security guards. Tsuranuki turned to Miku.

"Was it any trouble getting Hayato down here?" he asked.

The rabbit Faunus shook her head. "No. I told him to run and hide here just as security came looking for us. I was able to evade them by sneaking around through another hallway and slip in without them noticing. By that time, Hayato had already found a pod," she explained. She gestured with her free hand towards the last of the pods.

Like the others, the last pod bore the colors of the _shinkansen_ unit to which their souls were bonded. This last pod resembled the front of the E5 Hayabusa, the same train Hayato was a big fan of. Its top was the same green as the H5, but the stripe separating the white from the green was pink instead. And within, lying on a seat, wearing the same helmet as Miku did, was Hayato himself. His breathing was steady and even, and he looked to be at peace. Or sleeping, really.

But the sight was enough to make Tsuranuki relax. "Okay. Good. Now, let's get Linked Up so we can join him. And explain things before he freaks out."

Miku nodded and both got into their respective pods. Tsuranuki slipped the helmet on his head as he leaned back in the seat. He pressed the button on the side of the seat and the cover hissed shut over him. He closed his eyes as the visor flashed green and he felt the distinct tugging sensation as the tendril was formed. He grasped it and within seconds, he felt a jerk as he was pulled free from his flesh and blood body. The Tunnel of Oblivion engulfed his awareness and then all went black.

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: E5 HAYABUSA_**

_The last of the units to be activated, the E5 Hayabusa is built to be a leader type unit, able to fight in conjunction with any of the other _Shinkalion_ units. The unit is highly agile, much like the H5 variation, and is equipped with the same wings, thrusters, and claws for traction. However, unlike the H5, the E5 is also equipped with a long range weapon secreted within the nose of its chest. The E5 also lacks the Yubari Heating System, making it susceptible to the cold._

_The E5, in default and battle forms, weighs 100 tons and in battle form stands at 26.5 meters in height. It is armed with the Turnstile Sword, the exact same weapon as the H5. This lets it create an energy cage to trap enemies in._

_The driver of this unit is Hayato Hayasugi._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"What is leadership?" The man leaned back in his chair, frowning a bit.

"Well, that's the thing. Many can claim to be leaders, but what is a true leader really like?" He pressed a button on his keyboard and the monitor flashed, an image of a woman with her hair in a braid and wearing political attire appeared, showing her before a large crowd of people gathered outside a large white mansion. "Like this woman here. She demonstrates a willingness to connect with others, to present herself as human, to enact compassion whereas others would portray strength and ruthlessess. She also shows a keen understanding of politics, as well as a drive to protect the world from aggressive powers. But she doesn't do it through words or compassion. She knows when force is needed as well as words."

The man's eyes narrowed as he brought up another image, this time of a man in another reality, showing him standing in front of many people dressed in outlandish getups and some even surgically altered to resemble things they were not. "Unlike her, this man demonstrates no desire to connect with the commoners, to even _give_ people the education and medical care they need. He even denies children the right to be just that: children." The man fiddled with the keyboard and the two images were displayed, side by side.

"So think about this: True leaders often have to display more strength than those who claim to be leaders. For it takes greater strength to forgive an enemy than it does to hate them. And sometimes being kind to enemies is a mark of greater strength than mere hatred is."

* * *

**CHAPTER XX - SWORD**

When his systems came online, the last thing he expected was to hear a scream just feet away from him.

It was so loud he almost jumped off the track he was on.

Esebu immediately took action.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

Within moments he shifted from his _shinkansen_ form to his more humanoid form and he staggered back as the scream hit his audios full force.

He muted his audios and turned to look at Haifu, who had done the same thing. She tapped her head, then looked to the sleek _shinkansen_ just feet from where Esebu had been parked.

The train itself seemed to be shaking, and he knew what was going on in a flash. Esebu waited a few seconds before he returned his audios to their full functionality, and was rewarded when he didn't hear screaming. Instead, he knelt down beside the shaking train.

He wasn't sure how Hayato had managed to activate his vocalizer in _shinkansen_ form, but however he had done it, most likely it had happened out of sheer terror. And now, he was scared out of his wits.

Esebu paused, unsure of how he should deal with this. He wanted to comfort his friend, but at the same time, he couldn't reveal who he really was...

Or could he?

Esebu focused for a moment on his vocalizer, and he felt a slight tingling in his throat before it faded, and when he spoke, his own human voice came out, albeit with a metallic edge to it.

"Hayato?"

The green, pink, and white colored _shinkansen_ jolted on its tracks, and a scared voice emerged from it. The voice that came from the train was a deeper version of Hayato's voice, much like when he would be an adult. But it was still his friend's voice, regardless.

"Tsuranuki?! What's going on?! Where am I?! Why can't I see?!" Hayato cried, panicking.

"Hey! Just calm down! I'm right here!" Esebu urged, really wanting to put his hands on the shaking train. He refrained though, instead just staying close by and hoping Hayato would take strength from his presence alone. "Me and Miku are right here... Just calm down."

"How can I when I can't even move, or see?!" Hayato shouted.

Esebu finally decided to just screw it and placed a hand on his friend's side. "Hey! Panicking won't do you any good! You have to calm down! Just take it easy. Take in a breath and let it out. Let your mind take over and you will see."

Hayato wasn't too sure on his friend's words, but the fact that he was present was enough to get him to calm down somewhat, although he still shuddered. And this large hand... it felt metallic, but warm. Was it one of those aliens he had been told about? If so, then maybe they were friends! Maybe that was where his friends had been disappearing to! Maybe they were friends and were helping in some way by getting people out of harm's way or something like that!

But deep down, a small voice told him that that wasn't the case, and that he was about to see something he would never forget.

Regardless, he focused his mind and let it work with whatever he had become. He could already feel that something was off, and it just wasn't the metal hand on his new form. No. Now that he was actually focusing on his new body, he could feel... as if something were... beneath him... almost like...

Wait... The metal rods beneath him... the objects resting upon them, connected to his form... Experimentally, he focused a little more... and was rewarded when he felt the objects - his _wheels_ \- move on the rails beneath him. Rails... like those of a train... or a _shinkansen!_

Now he needed to know. But how was he supposed to see?!

His answer came when his vision flashed and static filled his sight briefly before fading to blackness, and then words filtered into view.

**UNIT: E5 HAYABUSA**

**STATUS: ACTIVATED**

**DRIVER: HAYATO HAYASUGI**

**AURA: STABLE**

**BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 36 HOURS**

**ENERGY LEVELS: 100%**

Hayato was greeted with the sight of the words vanishing before readouts flared to life, making him yelp before they retreated to the sides of his vision. Now he could see he was in some kind of hangar bay... and beside him was one of the aliens he had seen on the news before! He yelped and tried to back up, only to be rewarded with his rear engine bumping against a wall. The alien - Esebu, was it? - noticed this and started to speak, only it was with Tsuranuki's voice instead. "Hey! Just calm down!" he said, making the poor Faunus freak out even more.

"Wh-What's going on here?! How come you're speaking with Tsuranuki's voice?! Where is he?!" Hayato wailed, and Esebu looked startled before he placed his hand on Hayato's side.

"Hayato, it's me! Tsuranuki!" Esebu said in a panicked tone. "Please, just calm down! We can explain everything!"

"How do I know this isn't a bad dream!? Get me outta here!" Hayato screamed, now gunning his engine on sheer instinct as he released his brakes without even knowing what he was doing.

"Miku! He's trying to run for it!" Esebu cried to the femme, Haifu. "Help me hold him!"

The femme ran over and placed her hands on the other side of Hayato, both _Shinkalions_ straining their frames as they tried to hold Hayato in place. His engine roared as he put more power to his wheels, and Esebu's treads whirled as he braced his legs. On the opposite side, Haifu braced her own legs, but kicked on her flight subsystems to try and assist Esebu.

"Director, we could really use some help here!" Haifu snapped, her optics pulsing.

"_Hayato! Calm down! Just calm down, son..._"

But unfortunately, Hayato was too scared to even hear his father's soothing voice. He wanted so badly to bolt, to run... to just escape this unexpected change...

That was all it took.

Esebu sensed it coming before it even happened. He looked to Haifu. "Move!" he barked. The femme didn't even need to be told twice. Both let go of their friend just as his rear and front engines disconnected from the rest of the train and linked up.

Like with the others, the rear engine opened up into a pair of legs. The lower legs were completely green, only with pink and white accents on the sides whereas the claws that unfolded were golden-yellow in color. The upper legs were white and had a simple design to them. The rear of the front engine unfolded into a pair of arms and shoulders, the upper arms being grey and the lower arms having white armor atop them. The shoulders were primarily green with a pink stripe bisecting them, separating the white and green. The chest of the unit was the same as the nose of its _shinkansen_ mode, and it was green on the top, again the white bottom separated by that same pink stripe. The head was the last thing to emerge, a pair of yellow optics flashing online. The helm was mostly green with pink and white accents, a pair of green protrusions sweeping off to the sides and a silver commander fin on the forehead of the new mech. The faceplate was pure white, and on the back of the unit were two wings, not unlike those of Haifu, but with pink accents instead of purple.

The new _Shinkalion_ landed on his feet, feeling wobbly. His balance gave out and Esebu rushed to his side, grabbing one of his arms and slipping it over his shoulders. "Hey! We're trying to help you, ya doofus!" he snapped, sensing the mech's intentions to pull away.

Hayato looked in his direction, panic and confusion flooding his new optics. "What is going on here...?" he whispered, close to passing out.

"Stay focused!" Esebu snapped. "We'll explain everything. Just take several deep breaths and calm down."

Hayato wasn't sure about this, but he took in several deep breaths through his intakes, a sensation that was unnerving as hell, but it did help to calm his frazzled nerves... well, figurative nerves, really, but the idea was the same.

Esebu felt his friend's frame relax slightly and he nodded. "Good. Now, let's sit down and we'll explain everything."

* * *

**HANEDA AIRPORT CAPTURE FIELD**

* * *

"For the love of Glob, how did we even get stuck fighting this thing?!" Matagi growled as the Mighty Crab swung its massive claws at the trio of _Shinkalions_.

Fumikiri flipped back as one of the claws barely clipped his armor and Matagi darted back using his wheels while Nozoma sprang back and landed a safe distance away. His energy blades were out, and he studied the Kaiju Grimm intently.

The ninja _Shinkalion_ glanced to Matagi. "Any ideas?" he asked. "Our weapons can't really penetrate its armor, and whenever we get in close, it just swings those claws at us to prevent us from taking out its joints."

Nozoma scoffed. "Only because you two keep going at it without even thinking," he muttered.

Matagi snarled, but kept his comments to himself. He directed his attention to his COMM unit. "Shashot, got any suggestions?" he asked. While he was apprehensive about the AI, he did have to admit that the thing did have good suggestions. At least from what he could gather, anyway.

"_This type of Grimm has never been documented before, so it is not in the Kaiju Grimm Database,_" Shashot replied. "_I can offer some possible scenarios, but without firm data, I cannot say for sure if you can win._"

"Dammit..." Matagi growled. "So then how are we supposed to get in close to attack that thing's joints?"

The AI had no answer. Matagi took that to mean they were on their own with this.

And that was a problem for all of them.

He tensed and hissed through his vents as he braced for the next attack.

The Mighty Crab screeched as it lashed out with its claws, launching them like grappling hooks right for the trio of _Shinkalions_. Matagi dashed back with his wheels again as Nozoma spun to the side, however Fumikiri summoned his shuriken and threw it right for one of the Kaiju's exposed joints. His efforts were futile though as the crab simply withdrew its claws back to its body and curled up, a barrier of seething blackish purple energy forming around it. "Shit!" he swore. "This thing can generate a barrier!"

"That's bad news!" Matagi snarled. "That means then we can't get in close!"

Nozoma looked at Matagi's guns, then at the red and white _Shinkalion_. "Hey. Can't you use any long range attacks on the same scale as Esebu?" he asked.

Matagi's helm snapped up as he remembered the Mistery attack and his new special move. "Yeah. I can," he replied, turning to look at the white _Shinkalion_. "But I don't know if it will work or not."

"_There is no other option,_" Shashot remarked over his COMM system. "_Even if there were, that barrier is giving off energy readings that are consistent with dark magic. Which makes me highly suspect that it has basic intelligence._"

Those words sent shivers down Matagi's back struts. Nozoma growled lowly in the back of his chest while Fumikiri hissed through his vents. "So in short, be careful, right?" Nozoma asked.

"_I would advise against assuming you know what I am going to say, Nozoma,_" Shashot cautioned. "_As I was going to say, this Kaiju is displaying slightly higher intelligence than the normal kind that you have faced. So be on high alert, and be prepared. We do not have any data on its abilities._"

"_Hai!_" the three _Shinkalions_ said.

Matagi's optics dimmed a shade as he flipped his guns into cannon mode and attached them to his shoulder guards. He landed on the platform of the capture field and braced himself as he started to charge up a full power shot. "_FUMIKIRI CANNON!_" he roared.

The cannons bellowed and two reddish-gold beams of light lanced out from the cannon barrels, homing in on the large Kaiju huddled in its barrier. The energy blasts hit the defensive shield, causing an explosion of light and thick black smoke after impact. The three braced as the shockwave struck them, making them stagger back a bit. Matagi slowly lowered his arms from when he had thrown them up to shield his face from any potential shrapnel or debris.

His engine raced in his chest as he scanned for any sign of the Mighty Crab.

The smoke began to clear, and the group tensed for anything.

The smoke finally cleared, revealing nothing in the space where the crab had been. "Huh..." Nozoma folded his arms. "That... seemed a little too easy..."

"_Above you!_" Futaba screeched in their COMMs. The trio looked up just as their radar blared, and the three gasped in shock as the crab screeched, its legs extended out to either side.

"It... _dodged?!_" Matagi rasped.

"Move!" Nozoma barked, suddenly slamming into the red and white _Shinkalion_. The two went rolling as the Mighty Crab landed on the platform, making it shake ominously. Matagi glanced around, trying to spot Fumikiri, fearing he had been crushed by the thing. But a flash of purple and white made his engine surge with relief as he realized the ninja _Shinkalion_ had dodged the impact by using his ninjutsu.

But _barely_.

The purple and white _Shinkalion_ landed on the rail closest to the other two _Shinkalions_ and he glanced down. "You all right?" he called.

"Yeah. I think so," Matagi grumbled as Nozoma slid off him. He sat up and glanced to his white savior. "Why did you do that?" he inquired.

"To make sure you still have a chance to take that thing down," was all he said as he stood up. "Besides, I'm not doing this out of kindness, but necessity. I still don't like you kids fighting. But at this stage, well, we have no choice but to work together."

Fumikiri looked down at him and his blue optics burned into Nozoma's own. "Only necessity? Maybe right now, but eventually you will learn that we are just as capable as you," he said.

Nozoma rolled his optics as best as he could before he held out a hand to pull Matagi to his feet.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

Esebu and Haifu sat beside Hayato as he sat on the floor, legs crossed, as he gazed at his hands nested in his lap.

His optics were filled with disbelief at everything he had heard.

To first learn that his friends had actually been the ones to defend Japan and its cities instead of a group of aliens was one thing. But to hear that they had actively been lying to him to cover it up was an insult and a breach of trust in his eyes... er, optics.

And yet they had insisted it was for the best to keep him in the dark lest Satyra or even the one behind the Kaiju attacks find out about this whole project and maybe develop their own Project SKL variation. The thought of Satyra acquiring this technology was truly terrifying and it made his entire frame shudder in his terror as he drew his legs up close to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, making himself as small as possible.

"Why weren't you just honest with me to begin with?" Hayato rasped, his new, deeper voice seeming out of place with his current feelings.

Esebu shifted before he sighed, his vocalizer now back to its default setting. "Because if Satyra knew that you knew something big, they'd be after you even more than they already are," he explained. "This project is not meant to serve as a weapon, but as a deterrent and a defense against the Kaiju. It is also meant to serve as a beacon of hope for Japan as a whole."

Hayato could understand the necessity for keeping it secret. But it still didn't change the fact his friends had lied to him for so long about it. "Still doesn't change the fact that you lied about it..." he moped.

"Actually, we didn't technically lie to you outright," Haifu began. "We were indeed conducting Kaiju drills with our parents, but we also had to go out and fight a number of times. So, we told half truths."

"Half truth doesn't matter if you didn't just say it was you guys fighting..." Hayato grumped.

Esebu growled as he grabbed Hayato's helm and whipped it to face his own. "Hey! We just saved your butt from being recruited by Satyra, and all you can say is that we should've been honest with you!? Especially now that since you're part of this, you can't be recruited _at all?!_" he snarled. "Some thanks you gave us!"

Hayato's optics locked onto Esebu's, and he stammered in shock. "W-W-What?!"

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ had a smirk in his voice as he let go of Hayato's helm and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest in a smug manner. "Yeah, you heard me. They can't recruit you now. Not now, not _ever_. Why?" He leaned over and jabbed a finger into Hayato's chest. "_This_ is why."

He looked down at his hands, confused. "I... What?"

"_What Esebu means to say, Hayato, is now that your soul is bonded to the E5 unit, you can't be brainwashed into being a Satyra member,_" Hokuto explained. "_The third objective of Project SHINKALION was to make sure you could not be brainwashed by any kind of mental Semblances._"

Those words made Hayato look up in shock. "You mean...?"

"_Yes. As long as you are alive, you will be safe from Suzaku from here on_ _out_," the director clarified. "_Since the E5 is a machine, and since you are bonded to it, its mechanical nature will allow you to see through the lies she tells, and through her Semblance's effect. At least, that's the theory. But according to the tests and simulations run, it's worked countless times. So don't worry. You will never be recruited by them for as long as you live._"

Hayato turned to his friends, who were now smirking in their optics. "I'm... safe now?" he squeaked.

"Yep." Esebu gave a thumbs up. "No matter what."

Silence filled the room for a moment, broken only by the soft whirring of their servos and joints, and the faint humming of their ventilation systems. Hayato couldn't believe it. He was... he was safe.. safe from Satyra's recruitment efforts... He was safe from them! He was _safe from their recruitment efforts!_

A soft laugh broke free from his chest. It was subtle, but then he ducked his head forward, burying it in one of his hands as he finally broke down into relieved laughter. "I... I'm finally safe...!" he murmured. "I can't believe it...! I friggin' can't believe it! After a whole year...! I'm free from that worry!"

A huge sense of relief had overcome Hayato. It felt like his engine was soaring. His shoulders, despite being weighed down by the metal frame he wore, seemed to lighten and a sense of happiness filled his chest as he finally let the weight of his stress flow away and out of his systems.

He was finally free from his worry and fear.

Hayato finally broke down, his shoulders shaking as he slumped to the ground in relief. Choked sobs broke free from his chest as his friends knelt beside him, placing their hands on him and holding him close.

Finally... his terror was over.

But now there was another problem.

"_Hayato._"

The green and white _Shinkalion_ looked up. "Huh? Yes, Dad?"

Director Hayasugi cleared his throat. "_As you know, Project SKL was developed in an attempt to give Japan hope against the Kaiju_ _Grimm,_" he said. "_And right now, there is currently a battle happening down at Haneda Airport. Akita, Shinobu, and another member of the team, a cheetah Faunus named Ryuji, are engaged against a Kaiju Grimm we have code-named Mighty Crab due to its resemblance to a king crab. And they are having trouble. So, you, Miku, and Tsuranuki are to deploy there as soon as possible._"

Hayato looked at his friends as they helped him to his feet. "You ready to fight, Hayato?" Esebu asked with a grin in his optics. "Give some Kaiju a little payback?"

He nodded. "_Hai!_" he said. Then he paused. "Uh... will I need a different name?"

"_It is required that you adopt a code name so as to not let the public know who you really are, Hayato,_" the director explained. "_Tsuranuki and Miku are known as Esebu and Haifu, respectively. Akita is known as Matagi, Shinobu took the code name Fumikiri, and Ryuji goes by Nozoma in this form._"

Hayato looked down, trying to figure out a code name. But so far nothing came to his mind. All he could think of was wanting to say a big F-U to Satyra...

Wait. FU... He pondered for a moment before he looked up. "Efu."

"_Efu? Why that?_" Hokuto asked.

"To show Satyra that they can't get me now," Hayato clarified. "So this is like a big fuck you to them."

Esebu stared for a moment before he chuckled. "That will be a good insult," he said, "if they even knew what it was. So, whaddya think, Director?"

"_I was personally expecting something else, but if that's your choice, who am I to complain?_" the director remarked.

Silence filled the area for a moment before he finally spoke. "_Okay. Your code name has been put into the system. You're all set, Efu._"

Hayato, now known as Efu, nodded. "Right!"

"Okay. So, just do what we do, Efu," Esebu remarked as he shifted back into his _shinkansen_ form. "Just imagine yourself as a _shinkansen_ and then you'll transform back into it."

Efu nodded and joined his two friends on the tracks, changing back into his default form. It felt so weird, but at the same time, it was an unexpected surprise. The realization struck home at that moment.

He wasn't just _riding_ the _shinkansen_ anymore. This time, he _was_ the _shinkansen!_ It made him feel a bit giddy, and in actuality, it was enough to make his entire frame shudder. The feeling of power surging through him was _immense_! He couldn't believe that his friends had this capability, and now he had it as well. The very feeling was enough to make him laugh a little in surprise. "I still can't believe you guys hid this from me!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, we can get into the technicalities later," Esebu remarked. "We got a mission, remember?"

Efu chuckled. "Right. I remember."

Haifu snorted, but he could tell it was in amusement.

"_Okay, you three. The others are staring to have trouble. So you have to get there as quickly as you can,_" the director said.

"_Hai!_" the three said.

The doors to the last three tunnels slid open and the threesome started their engines. Efu actually gasped as he felt the sheer power flooding his frame briefly before he settled down. He took in a figurative breath before focusing on the mission at hand.

"Esebu, E7 Kagayaki..."

"Haifu, H5 Hayabusa..."

"Efu, E5 Hayabusa..."

"_Shuppatsu shinkō!_" the three declared.

Efu gunned his engine and put power to his wheels, squashing a small giggle of excitement before it escaped him. He forced himself to focus on the mission at hand. The three trains sped into the tunnels, and the doors hissed shut behind them. Efu flicked on his lights and gave a powerful blast from his horn.

'_Okay! Time to give these Kaiju some serious payback!_' he thought.

* * *

**HANEDA AIRPORT CAPTURE FIELD**

* * *

"Dammit! This thing just won't give us a break!" Matagi shouted as he whirled around to dodge the Mighty Crab's claws.

"I know!" Fumikiri said as he flipped around to avoid another claw. Nozoma didn't even say anything as he sped in to try and go for the joints with one energy blade.

But that barrier flared and deflected his blade, making him pull back with a hiss. "Shit...!"

"_Everyone! Esebu and Haifu are on their way! And they've got Hayato with them!_" Futaba exclaimed. "_He's now linked up, and is going by the code name Efu. Just so you're aware._"

"About time!" Matagi remarked.

Fumikiri hefted his shuriken and nodded. "Now we have the whole team assembled."

"Any idea as to how long they'll be out?" Matagi asked her.

"_They will be in the area within fifteen minutes. Try and hold out until then!_" Futaba said.

"_Hai!_" the three said.

With that, Matagi shifted his stance and leapt up onto one of the rails, crouching and aiming his guns at the Mighty Crab. He focused on the goggles on his helm and they snapped down over his optics. "_Namahage Goggles - Scope Mode!_" The green optics lit up and now he could see things in much clearer detail, right down to the wrinkles on the joints of the Mighty Crab. He shifted a bit, aiming one of his guns at a nearby joint...

And firing.

The shot barely hit.

_Barely._

The barrier flew up just seconds before impact, and Matagi growled. "C'mon...! Is there any way to get past that thing?!"

In truth, he hadn't even tested his Fumikiri Barrage on it yet. Not because he couldn't, no. It was because he wanted to wait until Esebu returned to the field of battle with Haifu and Efu.

In the meantime, Fumikiri was holding his shuriken and he opened up the Dust dispensers on the blades, tensing his frame before he threw it. "_Fumikiri Kaze Shuriken!_"

The bladed weapon spun through the air, homing in on the Mighty Crab, a whirlwind starting to form around it. The ninja _Shinkalion_ held up two fingers and then focused briefly. "_Aura Clone Jutsu!_"

The shuriken split into four clones of itself, this time with four whirlwinds starting to form. He kept his optics locked onto the crablike Kaiju, and then he gave a jerk of his fingers. The shuriken darted in, their blades coated in wind generated by the wind Dust. The weapons struck the barrier, but bounced off it.

Matagi's optics flickered as he zoomed in on the barrier, and then he saw it.

A faint crack.

It was barely visible, but it was there... and then it was gone.

"Guys... I think I got an idea..."

* * *

**DARKLANDS**

**SAMMAEL'S LAIR**

* * *

Sammael sneered as he watched the _Shinkalions_ struggling against the Mighty Crab.

"A masterful touch with the energy field," he complemented I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. "They'll be struggling to breach that for some time."

"Yes. But it does have a flaw," the huge Gundam rumbled. "Energy fields like this can only last for so long, after all."

The Fallen smirked. "True. But your barrier is so far keeping them from finding its core."

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. did know that. In all honesty though, he was a bit curious on something. "I must admit, I am curious though. Why give the Kaiju Grimm cores?" he wondered.

"Ah. That. Yes, it is a weakness, I will admit, but the cores are the only way to keep those Grimm that are made from other substances alive. Like with the Coal Walker. And the Mistery, as well," Sammael explained. He held up a hand and after a moment, a flash of black light came from his cupped palm. A reddish orb appeared in his hand and he caught it, holding it up to examine it in the dim lighting. He turned it around, inspecting it from all angles. "The core of a Kaiju Grimm is necessary in order to give it its size and power. It works much like a primitve reactor, but driven by magic instead of science. A Kaiju Grimm's Dark Substance is needed to give it its function and purpose. But magic alone can't keep it bonded to whatever substance it is fused to. So the core I created to enable that bonding to remain intact and functional."

He tossed the core to the Devil Gundam who caught it in one massive metal hand. He hummed as he looked it over. "I can sense the power within it," he mused.

And at that moment, a nasty little idea sprang to his processor. "Perhaps you could show me how to create these cores?" he inquired. "Because I have an idea for a future Grimm for you to use..."

Sammael's red eyes widened as he saw the Devil Gundam smirking in his acid green optics. "Oh? Well, tell me more, my friend." His smirk grew. "And maybe I will do more than teach you how..."

The Gundam rumbled in his chest as he began to speak, outlining his newest creation to his fellow Fallen.

* * *

**HANEDA AIRPORT CAPTURE FIELD**

* * *

"For Glob's sake! This thing just won't quit!" Matagi growled as he was forced to duck behind one of the columns within the capture field.

The large claws bashed their way through the metal supports, and the rail above began to groan ominously. Matagi glanced up, fear surging through his systems as he gasped in terror. "Oh, shit...!"

He turned to the other two _Shinkalions_ and bolted. "RUN!" he bellowed. "The rail's coming down!"

Fumikiri glanced up and he swore his engine ceased to function at the sight of the rail bending in the spots where the columns had been mere seconds ago. "Crap!" he screamed. "Nozoma! MOVE!"

Nozoma didn't even need to be told twice. He glanced out of the corner of his optic and reacted swiftly, his thrusters burning as he sprang away, using the thrust generated to boost his jump. He vaulted over the Might Crab as its claws came back to reattach to its body, landing on the other side of the platform and turning back around.

The rail groaned and creaked as it finally gave way with a tearing of metal and energy, electricity crackling over its shredded ends as the piece of track fell to the platform, causing the metallic surface to crack and dent.

Alarms began to blare within the field, and Matagi gulped. The capture field's structural integrity was being compromised. And from what he remembered during the training, the field could only take up to seventy-five percent damage and remain cloaked. And they needed to remain a secret for as long as possible, but that was proving to be a lot easier said than done, given how much attention they had gotten in the aftermath of the Misertree and Mistery attacks. If the field's camouflage went down, there went the secrecy. And they couldn't afford that at this time.

"That doesn't sound good," Nozoma noted.

"It's not," Matagi explained. "The field's got a limit to how much damage it can take before it goes down. And if the optical camouflage goes down, then we're exposed. And we can't afford that."

The white _Shinkalion_ growled. "And you didn't tell me this before because...?"

Matagi was about to answer when he suddenly heard a horn blaring. His helm snapped up and he spotted three flashes of light.

"Matagi!" came a familiar voice.

The red and white _Shinkalion_ recognized the voice instantly. "Esebu!" he cried.

The three _shinkansen_ sped down the tracks, blaring their horns. One was clearly Esebu, followed by Haifu, and another _shinkansen_ that looked almost like her, save for the pink stripe bisecting the white and green halves. He guessed this last one to be Hayato, or Efu, as he was now known as.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

The three transformed into their humanoid forms and landed on the platform, eyeing the damage done to the field's interior. "Glob... what's that thing been doing?" Esebu whispered.

"Long story short, it's been trying to get us and it damaged the field," Matagi explained. Then his optics flashed. "But we did learn some very important information."

"Then lay it on me!" Esebu ordered.

"Okay. First off, this thing - Mighty Crab - has the ability to launch its claws at us long range. Close range it's a nightmare to get close to. It also has the ability to generate a barrier," Matagi said seriously. "However, there is a weakness. If it gets hit by a weapon in one particular spot, the barrier gets cracked."

Esebu looked down, his mind already racing.

"_It seems to me like that barrier has a weak spot,_" Shashot replied over his COMM.

The lead _Shinkalion_ almost jumped out of his armor, but he managed to rein himself in and looked up. "Yeah. Only question is where. But that does mean we have an edge. So here's the deal."

He turned to his friends and Nozoma. "Matagi, you and Fumikiri will try and find that weak spot. Once it's found, I want you two to attack it until the barrier shatters. Nozoma, you're the quickest out of the three close range combatants with your thrusters. You go in and take out the major claws. Efu and Haifu will go for the legs."

"And you?" Nozoma asked, eyeing him critically.

"This thing may be based on a crab, but I have a feeling it has a core someplace. Once that's exposed, I'll take it out with my drill," Esebu stated.

"A core? You mean like a power core?" Efu asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's a weakness I noticed back during the Coal Walker battle," the blue and white _Shinkalion_ explained. "But enough beating around the bush. We gotta take this thing out before the field goes down."

"_Hai!_" the others said as one.

"_Esebu, I also recommend that if the barrier regenerates you rely more on Matagi's speed. He's the fastest of the group,_" Shashot suggested.

Esebu crossed his arms as he hummed thoughtfully. Then he looked up. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind, Shashot."

Efu tilted his helm to the side in confusion. "Who's Shashot?" he queried.

"An AI that your father had developed for assistance with our missions," Matagi explained. "He is a command class AI, with full learning capabilities, and, in theory, is able to counter anything that our enemy may be planning."

Efu was confused, but he figured that once the mission was over things would be explained.

"R-Right..." he murmured.

The six _Shinkalions_ broke off their huddle and assembled in a line, each brandishing their weapons... save for Efu. He only clenched his fists, feeling a bit outclassed by the others of the team. They had weapons, and all he had were his fists. But Esebu had said that he was to fight too. So maybe he _did_ have a weapon! The only question was how to summon it, and what weapon it was.

Esebu seemed to sense this and glanced at his friend. "Efu, just let your weapon come to you," he instructed. "Hold out your hand and will it to come, but don't force it, otherwise it won't work." He had tried the same thing after his first battle against Grimmzilla during a training session, and it had failed miserably. All he did was get a shower of sparks before they vanshed. The key, he had learned, was to seek your weapon without wanting it.

His friend seemed unsure of the whole thing, but he nodded anyway. "Okay. I'll try."

"No. Don't try. _Do._" Esebu was dead serious on that as he pointed his drill at the Mighty Crab.

Efu gulped and shakily took in a breath through his vents. He let it out and held up a hand. He tried to imagine what weapon he had, but then he remembered Esebu's words and just let it go. He didn't need to know in his mind. His frame knew automatically what weapon he had. All he could do right now was trust in his frame to summon his weapon for him. He dimmed his optics and clenched his hand, as if closing it around a hilt of some sort. Efu could almost _feel_ the weapon in his hand. It felt like a sword of some kind... A sword... like Haifu's.

His hand gripped something as it seemed to appear out of thin air, and then he felt it. Solid, real, present. He brought his optics back to full brightness and he gaped in shock at the same style of sword as Haifu's, but the blade was pink in comparison to the pinkish-orange of Haifu's sword.

He held up the sword and examined it, looking it over in astonishment.

"Looks like you did it," Esebu remarked with a slight chuckle to his tone. "I knew you could manage it."

Efu nodded, then glanced up. He adopted a fighting stance, sword held out to the side.

Esebu flared his optics as he crouched. "Team Shinkalion... _ikuze!_" he cried.

"_Hai!_" the others exclaimed.

The six _Shinkalions_ charged into the fray, the Mighty Crab screeching as it prepared to launch its claws at the incoming fighters.

"Matagi, Fumikiri, now!" Esebu ordered.

The two _Shinkalions_ split off from the rest and started attacking as the barrier flickered into existence. Esebu scanned around the barrier, his optics pulsing as he shifted to telescopic mode. He zoomed in on the barrier, a cursor dancing around in his vision as he scanned the impacts that Matagi's guns were making. Fumikiri's shuriken lanced out, covered in wind Dust, striking the barrier and bouncing back before he caught them and launched them again. A low growl built up in his chest as the two kept it up for a few minutes. He was about to change tactics when a small discrepency in the barrier caught his optic. He looked at the barrier...

And saw it.

It was faint, but it was there.

A crack.

Right over the upper shell of this thing. Which meant...! Thinking fast, he shifted his vision from telescopic to thermal. He scanned around the Mighty Crab's body, and then he saw it. Faint, but buried deep in its underbelly.

A red pulsing orb.

The core.

"Got it!" he muttered.

Then he looked to Matagi and Fumikiri. "Matagi! Fumikiri! Fire at the weak spot near the end of its back!" he shouted.

Fumikiri looked at the spot, then back at Matagi who nodded. He shifted his stance and threw his guns into the air, unfolding them into their cannon mode. His Aura seethed around his frame, burning a brilliant red as he channeled it into his cannons. The barrels began to glow a reddish gold color as he powered up his new move. "RAAAAAAAAAAAH! **_FUMIKIRI BARRAGE!_**" he bellowed.

The cannons on his shoulders roared, sending two powerful shots right for the Mighty Crab's back, only for them to split into numerous smaller shots. They peppered the barrier, causing it to become weaker and more cracks to develop. Fumikiri summoned back his shuriken and tensed his frame as he threw it, wind generating around its blades. "_Fumikiri Kaze Shuriken!_"

The two _Shinkalions_' attacks caused the barrier to weaken, and then with a cry, Matagi increased the power output from his cannons. The barrier shattered under the onslaught, and Esebu looked to the three close range fighters.

"NOW!" he shouted to them.

The two sword-wielding _Shinkalions_ ran in, their weapons held out to the sides while Nozoma sprang into action, his energy blades flashing as he boosted towards the Might Crab's huge claws. The Kaiju roared as it tried to grab him in its clutches, but he relied on his smaller size to dodge the claws and swung one of his blades at a nearby joint. Esebu watched in tense anticipation, half expecting his plan to fail.

Nozoma however, didn't miss. Or rather, he struck before the Kaiju's barrier went up again.

This time.

The Grimm screeched in agony as its limb fell off, and then Nozoma struck again, pouncing on the second claw this time. His blades swiped as he lodged them into the joint and, with a grunt, he cut it off, leaving the Kaiju defenseless.

Efu and Haifu seized their chance and leapt into action.

Both green and white _Shinkalions_ charged in, their blades glowing with energy as they thrust them forward. Efu wasn't even used to using a sword, so this was his first time even handling one. He just swung with both hands on the hilt, hoping to get a lucky hit. Haifu, meanwhile, swung hard, one hand firmly clasped around her sword in contrast to Efu. His blow missed, but hers collided and the Mighty Crab retaliated by lashing out with its remaining legs. Efu got hit in the chest and was sent flying back from the impact. Haifu twisted her frame and dodged, but her left leg armor got clipped as a result. She rolled and landed on the ground. She glanced to Efu and shook her helm. "You cannot swing this sword with both hands," she instructed. "Do not think of the sword as a weapon. Think of it as an extension of your arm. It is a _part_ of you, not a mere weapon!"

"And you could've told me that before I swung?!" Efu groaned as he forced himself into a sitting position.

The rabbit-eared _Shinkalion_ shook her head as she ran over and held out a hand for Efu. He grasped it and she pulled him to his feet.

"You think you two can try again?!" Esebu called over as he thrust his drill right for one of the leg joints.

The two glanced at one another and nodded. They broke into a run, this time Efu running ahead. He held his sword off to the side like Haifu had done, relying more on his frame to guide him. He clenched his hand around the hilt of his weapon, feeling it light and loose in his grasp at the same time. It felt more like his arm instead of a mere weapon. He didn't even bother to question. He just reacted.

Efu sensed the legs coming before he saw them. He whipped his frame to the side, his sword slashing up cleanly at an angle, cutting through the joints and earning a screech of pain as a result. The legs fell to the ground, and Haifu leapt over him, her sword flying out as she cut the last legs on the other side off, followed by Nozona's energy blades cutting off the rear legs. Then, the threesome landed and held out their weapons, catching the Mighty Crab on the flat sides of the blades. The thing's leg stumps wriggled as it tried to attack them, but to no avail.

The three _Shinkalions_ tensed their frames and Haifu glanced left and right. "On three! One!"

Efu clasped his sword in both hands.

"Two!"

Nozoma braced his arms and legs for the toss.

"Three!" Haifu shifted her grasp, and then as one, they tossed the Mighty Crab into the air with a swing of their weapons. The Kaiju Grimm wriggled as it tried to summon enough strength for a barrier, but it wasn't fast enough, let alone had the strength needed.

Esebu seized his chance. His treads whirled as he engaged them, speeding around Matagi and Fumikiri as they landed on the platform. He pressed the trigger on his drill's grip and he felt it shudder as it began to spin up. He pressed it two more times and ice Dust began to spill from the Dust dispensers as he channeled his Aura into the weapon. "HAAAAAAAAH!" The bright blue light engulfed his frame within seconds, along with that familiar icy coldness. He put more power to his treads as he gunned it, holding his drill out in front of him before he braked and crouched, springing off the platform and into the air. His optics flashed as he let out a loud bellow, his drill whirring in a blur of silver and icy glinting. "**_WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!_**"

His Wheelset Drill struck the core, its tip penetrating it as he broke through, shattering shell and Grimm flesh with ease. He felt the explosion behind him and he flipped his frame around, performing several flips in a curled up ball before he landed atop one of the rails. His legs gave out and he collapsed to his hands and knees, panting from the exertion he had put himself through. His drill vanished as soon as he landed on his hands and knees. He glanced down as he saw the others all waving and cheers reached his audios.

They had done it.

All of them had done it. And Hayato was now free from his fear and terror.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIM DATABASE:**_

**NAME: Mighty Crab**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Mega**

**BASIS: King Crab**

**ABILITIES: The Mighty Crab has the ability to launch its claws at its opponents, and it can summon a barrier to defend itself against weapons. It is durable and very hard to get close to due to this ability. Its joints are its weakest point, and its barrier, while strong, has a weakness in that it cannot handle too many attacks at one point. If that happens, then it will go down.**


	22. REVELATION

"So... finally all six are gathered."

Hokuto stood before the director of the entire organization, Subaru Azuma.

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied.

"And I take it you have the second phase in the works?"

The director of Project SKL nodded. "Yes. We have the best teams working on training right now for the implants' insertion."

"Good." Azuma turned to face him.

Subaru Azuma was a young man at thirty five years of age, possessing dark purple hair with light purple highlights in it, and his eyes were a purplish grey color. He was of average height, at around five foot ten, with a lean build. He wore the same uniform as Hokuto's immediate superior, but with a difference in that he had a longer coat than Shinpei Izumi. His came to the middle of his knees, and it was open at the bottom.

"I assume that you also wish to ask me permission to tell them about _him?_" Azuma asked, his eyes hardening.

Hokuto nodded. "_Hai!_"

"Given how the project was designed to combat the Kaiju Grimm _he_ sends our way...they do need to know. So you have permission," the commander said.

"As well as for any subsequent members if we expand our numbers," Hokuto added.

"Granted."

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTION NETWORK_**

_A network designed for improving combat planning and operations, the Holographic Projection Network is set up throughout the main SDI offices across Japan. This enables coordinated planning and tactical operations on a level that matches the SDF and any UN forces sent to assist in Kaiju attacks. It also can be used to project three dimensional images to showcase certain parts of the plan as needed._

_Shashot can also use the network to materialize his human avatar in the Tokyo Branch of the SDI._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to planning, many things have to be taken into account. Mostly things like terrain, population density, enemy activity, and even things like weather, wind, or even fog. In operations for war, contingencies must sometimes be prepared. And in times of humanitarian crises, sometimes planning can go horribly wrong."

The man adjusted his glasses before he leaned back. "Like my colleague, Hokuto Hayasugi. He works for the Project SKL, and is in command of that unit. He often gives the members of his team the mission, but the plans sometimes have to be adjusted accordingly during the missions, like with the Misertree attack."

"My name is Shinpei Izumi, and I am the overall commander of the Tokyo Branch of the Shinkansen Defense Institute." Izumi then became serious. "So, if plans go awry, how will you react to it? Will you throw a tantrum and try to use the plan regardless? Or will you adapt and use the situation to your advantage? That is the thing. No one can tell what the future holds. So, to think on one's feet is perhaps the best skill in such a situation. Don't you agree?"

* * *

**CHAPTER XXI - REVELATION**

The meeting room was very quiet as the six kids sat around the main table.

It had been a full month since Hayato joined the team.

Hayato's training had actually gone a lot smoother than with Tsuranuki and Akita, that was for sure. (Ryuji, Miku, and Shinobu had done very well on their training, so it didn't really could in his mind.) For one thing, he had taken to his new frame like a natural. Sure he had had some trouble adjusting at first, but he learned quickly what he could and couldn't do, which lead to a surprising boost in his confidence again. Well, not as much as one would think. He was more sure of his abilities in combat, but not leadership. Tsuranuki could recall when Hayato had been a much more outgoing kid before his mother's death, being a natural leader.

But now, he was lacking the confidence to be a leader. And Tsuranuki felt that was something that had to be righted. So for now, he was stuck as the team's leader.

And honestly, Tsuranuki could hardly believe it had been such a short time ago he and his friends had been given this chance to fight. It was almost eight months since he had first stumbled into that hidden pod room.

Yet it seemed much longer to the boy.

'_Has it really only been eight months?_' he wondered. '_It seems a lot longer than that..._'

He could recall those carefree days as he looked at the others all chatting and expecting the director to show up any minute. Hell, if he just imagined them out at the park instead of in the SDI's meeting room, he could swear that they were just normal kids having a great time hanging out together.

But that was not the case anymore. And Tsuranuki felt nostalgic for those old days...

His mind was brought back to the present when he heard the door slide open. The six kids stopped their chatter and sat up as Director Hayasugi walked into the room. His eyes were hard as he looked at them seriously.

"Ah, good. You made it," he noted.

"Sir, just what is this meeting about?" Miku asked.

"I'm getting to that shortly." The director set the laptop he was carrying down and opened it up. He grabbed a cable and plugged it into the nearby projection screen for the Holographic Projection Network. The network's projection screen flashed and the images began to play out in the air in front of them above the main table. Tsuranuki was in awe as he watched as a holographic image of the Giga Tusk marched past his sight. Even the other kids were in shock.

"What is this?" Hayato asked in wonder.

"This is the Holographic Projection Network," Hokuto explained. "It was developed long before we had Shashot, but it has been modified over the course of the years to accommodate more powerful computer technology." He pressed a button and the images stopped moving. "It has become our means of planning out operations against the Kaiju since it was first brought online."

The kids nodded. The network was impressive, but the biggest question was burning on their minds: what was this meeting about?

"Now, for the real reason you have all been assembled here." Hokuto's eyes darkened. "To learn the truth behind Project SKL. As well as the next phase of the project."

The group tensed, and Tsuranuki gulped nervously.

This was it. The moment of truth.

Hokuto reached over and tapped a few commands on the keyboard of his laptop and the images vanished to reveal a single form.

A human male, about five foot eleven, lean but strong.

But he had pale skin. Far too pale to be normal.

His hair was long and blood red, coming to the middle of his back.

A strange eye-like symbol was present on the back of one of his hands.

And then there were the veins.

Purple and black seethed over his arms, moving up to his face and his eyes.

The kids all tensed and gasps escaped a few of them.

His eyes were pure red with black sclera. Like those of a demon... or a Grimm.

Tsuranuki felt his muscles tighten and he instinctively clenched his right hand, as if summoning his Wheelset Drill to his grasp. "The hell is that guy?" he asked.

"This..." Hokuto's voice was grim as he spoke. "...is Sammael... One of the most dangerous men alive, and for good reason."

"How could this guy be the most dangerous?" Ryuji asked with narrowed eyes.

"The reason is simple, Ryuji," the director muttered. "He is what we call a Fallen... or a human infused with the essence of Grimm."

Everyone gaped in shock before Tsuranuki stood up, slamming his hands down on the table. "How is that even _possible?!_" he blurted.

"We're not sure as to how, but we do have theories based on the ruins we uncovered during the project's initial drafting stages," Director Hayasugi said seriously. "Anyway, that's not what we're here to discuss. You are to learn the truth behind the project as well as what Phase II entails."

Tsuranuki sat back down, his eyes narrowed.

"Now, back on track. As I was saying, Sammael is a Fallen, or a human infused with the essence of Grimm. And he is the most powerful Fallen ever to exist." The director glanced at the six kids. "As you all know from history class, the Time of Awakening began one thousand years ago when the Emperor accidentally released the Grimm. But what you don't know is that Sammael was around during that time." Here Hokuto bared his teeth. "And then came the loss of the Emperor's Sword. And with it, went all hope."

The kids all knew what he meant. Ever since then, people had been striving to find any symbol of enduring hope and cling to it like no tomorrow. But each time, they had failed. Yet now...

"That is until now," Hokuto continued. "Sammael was the one who caused us to lose hope and struggle to find a new one. But what he does not expect is that our project, SHINKALION, will be the one to alter the tides of war." Then he looked down. "At least, we hope so."

"Uh... Dad?"

The director looked up, his eyes meeting Hayato's.

"Just... what is Sammael, exactly? If he's not human, nor a Grimm, then... what is he?" his son asked.

"A monster..." was all the director said as he looked at his hands clasped in front of him. "A monster whose ultimate goals are unknown to all of us. We do, however, know he is planning to start a war to end all wars and has been gathering resources for all these years. His end goals are those we need to find out. And so far only a few people can guess what they are."

"Hold on. Guess? You mean they don't know?" Miku asked.

"No." Hokuto glanced at the rabbit Faunus. "It's hard to learn what his goals are because he plans for everything."

"Hence why you developed Shashot," Akita mused as he leaned forward.

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yes. That way we can plan and counter whatever moves he makes on Japan."

The kids were silent as he continued. "And that brings us to the true purpose of Project: SHINKALION."

"Hold on! I thought it was to help defeat Kaiju and bring hope to Japan!" Tsuranuki blurted, leaning forward in his seat. "You mean to tell us that it was all a lie?!"

"No. Not in the sense you'd think," the director said somberly. "It _was_ developed to help in that purpose, but it is all a part of a bigger goal: to find the Emperor's Sword."

"Huh?!" All six kids blinked in shock.

"It is meant to help and bring back hope, yes, but ultimately it is meant to help find the sword of the Emperor," Hokuto explained. "Since Japan is a diverse country in many ways, we needed diverse machines to fight. And since the _shinkansen_ runs cross country, this way we can use it to trace down any leads. As well as try to get there first before a Kaiju Grimm or Sammael does."

"So... if we do manage to find the sword, then the project would be shut down?" Shinobu asked.

"Glob no. That's not going to happen. As long as there are Grimm, then it will be necessary," Hokuto assured the ninja. "Because _if_ we find it - and that is a very big _if_, mind you - then we will need to find someone who can wield it."

Now the kids understood. Not only were they meant to protect Japan, they were supposed to help find the Emperor's Sword in some way. And now they knew just who their true enemy was.

But there was something bothering Tsuranuki. "Uh, Director Hayasugi? Just..." Here he gulped. "Just what are Sammael's abilities?"

The director was silent as he typed up a command on the computer and the image of Sammael faded to show a list of several of his abilities. "These are only some of his abilities," he stated. "We theorize there could be many more... way more than we expected."

The kids all paled. Such strength and power... and the project seemed insignificant compared to that.

"So... we're outclassed...?" Hayato breathed in terror.

"Maybe... but as I said, the real purpose is to find the sword," his father replied. "So it is not meant to fight Sammael _directly_. Even the Dragon of Denver had a hard time with him, and he was _built_ for that purpose!"

He then shifted and reached into his pocket, pulling something out in his hand. "And that brings me to the second topic: Phase II of the project."

Hokuto held out his hand and opened it, revealing the object he held.

The kids all gathered around, confused.

"Is... Is that some kind of chip?" Ryuji wondered.

"Not in the sense you might think, Ryuji," the cat Faunus explained. "This... is Phase II. The LinkNode."

"LinkNode?" All the kids blinked their eyes in confusion as one.

"Yes. The LinkNode." Director Hayasugi laid it down on the table in front of all of them. "This is the second phase of Project SKL. It is meant to allow you to link to your unit wirelessly without the use of a bulky LinkPod." He tapped it with a fingertip. "This little guy will enable enhanced operation time as well as allow for travel abroad. But, you have to be in close proximity to your machine to LinkUp to it."

"How will it work?" Tsuranuki asked.

"Basically it gets inserted into your spine, right between your shoulder blades." Hokuto tapped a command on his keyboard and a new image - one of the LinkNode - appeared in the space above the kids. They all looked up at it. "As you can see, the node itself is small, but it packs the latest in advanced technology. Its functions include a life support system to keep your heart going when your soul is out of your body, a GPS unit to track your location, a small wireless receiver for sensor readings from your _Shinkalion_ frames, and even a temporary COMM system, although you can't communicate with it." As he spoke, each component lit up with its description. "The wires around it hook directly into your nervous system, allowing it to keep your body alive for a limited time. Three days is the maximum we were able to get out of it."

"So that's it? Just implant this little thing and we'll be able to fight abroad? Sounds risky," Ryuji noted.

"It _is_ risky." The director's eyes were grim as he leaned forward, tenting his fingers in front of his mouth. "The risks are many... from dying to becoming trapped in your _Shinkalion_ frame for the rest of your life... But what other choice do we have?" He sighed heavily, and for once, Tsuranuki could see that the man was exhausted. Not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. But he was still going forward with it. Hokuto's face looked much more haggard than he remembered, with stubble standing out on his jaw and his hair a mess.

"We have to keep going... taking these risks to keep the world safe..." he said softly. "Because Sammael seeks to break the seal beneath Mount Fuji."

The room was silent as he brought up an image of the very mountain in question, except it was split in a cross section. The kids could see the massive Pool of Darkness beneath it, seeming to pulse with life like an entity in of itself. "And that is why we have to stop him from doing so."

"Hold on. This Sammael plans to break the seal... but can't he just do it?" Shinobu asked. "Because if he is as powerful as you claim..."

Here Hokuto managed a weary smile. "This seal is a _mountain_, and beneath it are runes of great power," he said. "Things like those take time to break. And even if he could, it would alert the world's Hunters and Huntresses. Sammael is not stupid, Shinobu." His eyes regained a bit of their life to them. "And neither are we. We know he's just looking for an opportunity to strike. So we have to be ready to deal with it when he makes his attempt."

"Seems to me like you're confident," Ryuji stated as he shifted in his seat. His eyes locked onto the seal, sweeping up and down the image. "And I can see why you would be."

"Yes. But it's only a matter of time before something causes it to break," the director remarked as he closed down the images.

"So, you see now what it is that has to be done?" Hokuto asked.

The group nodded. "Yes, sir!" they said as one.

The director gave a smile as he leaned back. "Good."

Then his face became serious. "But seriously. This is, despite our efforts to make it as effective and efficient as possible, still a dangerous undertaking. There is still so much we don't know about our world, least of all how this tech even _works_, since it was derived from ancient sources like the Iwo Jima Metal Man and Life Form MX."

"Wait. That's where you got the idea for this project from?" Akita asked.

A nod was all the boy needed to confirm his suspicions. "I think I see where this story is headed," he mused. "You delved into the past to try and find a method to develop a combat machine to battle Kaiju on an even footing, and therefore came up with Project: SHINKALION as a result of study, right?"

Hokuto chuckled a bit. "You catch on quick, Akita," he said. "Now, I'll answer any questions you may have, whether about the project or Sammael. I'll try to answer them as best I can."

Tsuranuki seized his chance. "Sir, just how is a Fallen created?" he asked.

The director's face darkened at that. "There is no way to know for sure, but there are theories on Fallen creation that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years, Tsuranuki," he began. "These records detail ancient pictographs showing human females clad in black, giving birth to half-Grimm creatures that look human, but possess the qualities of Grimm. These pictograms were found recently in the Okinawa Ruins and translations only came out about a year or two ago before I conceived the project." He reached over and pulled out a sheaf of papers from the briefcase his laptop had been in. "You can see for yourself."

He set the sheaf of papers down on the table and the kids all gathered around to examine the pages.

Each page was lined with images, and above them were the corresponding words or sentences. Tsuranuki was horrified to see that one of the half-Grimm creatures was chowing down on an innocent babe, and he turned his head away. "These ladies were insane!" he blurted, turning a bit green in the cheeks.

"Yes," Ryuji mused, his eyes hard as ice.

Hayato didn't know what else to say other than he was sick. He clapped a hand to his face and grimaced beneath it.

Miku narrowed her eyes dangerously and Akita pursed his lips in a frown.

Shinobu was the only one who wasn't badly fazed, as he had seen worse during his time training in the mountains. But it did disturb him nonetheless. He gave a small grimace and pushed the sheaf of papers back towards Hokuto.

The director gathered them up and put the papers back in his briefcase. "The legends inscribed on those ruins describe an ancient order that gave birth to the first Fallen," he continued. "The order's name was lost to time, but what was visible told of how they had the Dark Substance coursing through them, giving them greater strength and power compared to normal humans. But it was during the Forgotten Age that the Fallen began to proliferate, spreading their 'gene' so to speak, to the normal population of Faunus and Humans."

"And what happened to the order?" Hayato asked, still feeling grossed by the images.

"They were eventually killed by the last of the leaders of the Pangaeic Family line that first founded the Kingdom of Pangaea during the Forgotten Age," Director Hayasugi explained. "But not before their leader did something foolish... and gave birth to a dangerous man."

"Sammael...!" Tsuranuki gasped, finally piecing it together.

Hokuto nodded solemnly. "Yes. As to _what_ they did... it remains a mystery because those runes have been removed or lost to time. But what we _do_ know is that King Ozric, the last of the Pangaeic Family line, decreed that the boy be spared, and educated in the ways of good. And for a while it seemed that it would work. But... it didn't. The darkness within the boy was too great to control... and he succumbed to it."

"Leading to where we are today!" Miku breathed.

A nod was all that was needed to confirm the team's fears.

Now the kids understood the importance of the project. Not only was it designed to help defeat the Kaiju Grimm and bring back hope to a world that needed it, it was also meant to help find the Emperor's Sword. A task that none of them had expected. And they didn't even know if they could find it, or if it was even on Japan to begin with. To each of them, the reality dawned hard. They were now involved in a war. A war against a dangerous man who had lived since the Forgotten Age, who had incredible powers and could create Grimm at will from the Pools of Darkness.

Tsuranuki finally swallowed his fear and licked his lips. "Sir... if there's one thing that I'm sure of, it's that I'm not gonna give up being a _Shinkalion_," he said. His eyes hardened as he remembered his father's words. "I want to continue to protect the people of Japan, no matter what. Especially since I made someone very proud of me."

Akita and the others gazed at him for a moment before Miku stood up. Her eyes glinted as she squared her shoulders. "I'm with Tsuranuki," she said. "My mother may not have wanted me to fight, but I refuse to back down because I want to protect her, much like she's protected me."

Shinobu stood up, his face set in a determined expression. "It is against the way of a ninja to retreat from a fight. Unless I am ordered otherwise, I refuse to leave."

Akita sighed before he stood up, his purple eyes hard. "My grandfather taught me that you must pursue your prey until it wears out, and that anything we catch is a gift from the mountains. Sammael may be a hunter, but the worst enemy to a hunter is another hunter. And we are hunters as well. All of us."

Ryuji glanced to the kids beside him. "You kids are crazy..." he muttered. "And that means someone's got to keep you in line."

Hayato meanwhile looked down at his hands clenched in his lap. That man... Sammael... he was the one responsible for everything... for the Kaiju, for the war... and his mother's death. His eyes hardened into shards of magenta glass as he looked up. "That man took my mother from me," he said. "And he took so much more from others. I don't want others to go through the same thing!" Hatred for the Grimm began to burn in his chest. "So I'm not backing out, either!"

The director wasn't too surprised, and in fact, he was relieved to see that. He smiled as he leaned back. "That's just what I wanted to hear, kids." Then his eyes hardened. "However, we aren't using this for revenge, but hope. We don't let our desire for revenge get in the way of our mission to bring a better world. Otherwise we are no better than Sammael and his forces."

Hayato knew what he was getting at, but it still felt good to finally take down the Kaiju that dared to destroy others' lives.

He managed to squash that though and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Of course, things were not about to go as planned...

* * *

**GRIMMFALL**

**MAYOR SEBBEN'S OFFICE**

* * *

The day was just winding down as the sun began to set beyond the horizon.

A single figure leaned over to scoop up a few papers from the main desk, her reddish hair hanging loosely over her face. She brushed aside a single strand as she turned to get ready to head out.

Her gray-blue eyes widened as she heard footsteps. Fiona turned to face the newcomer, only to drop her papers in shock as Mayor Sebben himself exited the elevator. "Ah. Heading home for the day, Fiona?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," she said with a small bow. "I hope you have an excellent evening, Mr. Mayor."

"Please. Call me Sebben. It's better than Mr. Mayor," Sebben said with a chuckle.

The secretary nodded with a light blush. "Y-Yes, sir!"

The woman continued to gather her stuff as the mayor exited the building. Already lights were coming on within the city, and he could see people coming and going back to their homes or workplaces. A few people stopped to say hello and he waved before he continued on his way.

As he walked, his eye narrowed in thought.

His right hand went to his eye patch and he touched it briefly. Beneath it he felt a slight pulsing. That pulsing he knew all too well. He stopped walking, but he didn't dare to lift it up in public. Not when Sammael could have a Seer in the area. Instead, he closed his visible eye and focused on that pulsing.

Several images flashed by his mind's eye. He could see six mecha, each one built like a _shinkansen_, but with differing colors and weapons. He saw snow falling off something... A flash of red... A gleaming emblem... A portal leading to worlds unknown... and then the same logo he had seen several months ago during that strange broadcast to Satyra: a pair of wings behind a globe with the countries on it, and a Z on the front.

He didn't know what these images meant, but the fact that that same emblem showed up _again_ meant that whomever it belonged to had a role in the coming fights.

But were they friend... or foe?

That he didn't know.

And it worried him.

Sebben let his hand fall away from his eye patch as he opened his eye. He continued walking, intent on making his way home for the evening.

Just as a new day was starting to dawn in Japan.

* * *

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

**DAIMONYAMA HOUSEHOLD**

* * *

A soft beeping echoed in Tsuranuki's room as he lay huddled under his covers, drool coming out of his mouth as he slept.

A low groan came from him as he turned over, covering his head with his pillow. "Dammit... Five more minutes, Mom..." he whimpered.

The beeping came again, and he groaned as he pried open an eye, partially uncovered. It was his phone vibrating.

"Dammit..." Tsuranuki reached for the device and pulled it close to his face as he pressed the talk button. "What is it?" he muttered.

"_Tsuranuki! Where are you? We got training today!_" Miku shouted. The boy winced at her loud tone.

"Miku... It's only five in the morning..." he grumbled.

"_Well, the director wants us to be prepared in case a Grimm strikes. It's been almost a month, remember?_" the rabbit Faunus pointed out.

Tsuranuki's eyes went wide as he felt adrenaline kick in. He was out of his bed in a flash and grabbing his clothing to throw on. "Shit! Why didn't you tell me, Miku?!" he exclaimed as he hurriedly threw his shirt on over his head. He stuck his arms through the sleeves before he pulled it over his head and donned his pants.

"_I tried to,_" Miku stated. "_But you were too sleepy._"

The boy groaned as he slipped his shoes on and grabbed his backpack. "I'll be there shortly!"

He broke out of his room, startling his mother as she was coming out of the kitchen. "Oh! Up early, I see," she noted.

"Sorry! Training!" Tsuranuki blurted as he grabbed his coat and threw it on. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a muffin from the fridge before heading for the door. "See you!"

"Be careful, though!" Mizusu called. Tsuranuki gave a wave as he ran out towards the station and the nearby Marunouchi Building.

The trip down the elevator shaft to the basement was easy, as the construction workers were off for the night. The night guard was also easy enough to avoid since he fell asleep at this time anyway. The boy exited the elevator shaft and bolted for the main generator room before ducking down the hidden staircase to the main corridor underneath the Marunouchi Building. From there it was a straight shot to the main office for the director.

The others were already there when he arrived.

"About time," Ryuji scoffed as he folded his arms.

"Hey! I had no idea we'd be training this early!" Tsuranuki shot back as he sat down.

"And for good reason," Director Hayasugi said as he leaned forward in his chair. "You would be right, Miku, in that it's been a full month since the last Kaiju attack. And that means one could come at any time."

He then looked over the entire team. "So today's training is going to involve working alongside Shashot to give you more effective teamwork with him." His eyes narrowed at Ryuji. "As well as with each other."

The cheetah Faunus narrowed his eyes, but nodded.

"Uh, sir, any idea as to when or if a Kaiju will show?" Miku asked.

"Miku, we can't just tell when a Kaiju shows. The only thing we know is that it _will_ show. A Kaiju always does after a limit of time has passed." Hokuto's eyes hardened as he looked down. "But as to what kind and where... we don't know that, either."

Silence filled the room before Hayato finally spoke. "So, what kind of training are we doing, sir?" he asked.

Here Hokuto looked at the group. "This time we'll be tackling teambuilding drills." He pressed a button and the main monitor flashed behind him, showing the ruins of another town. "Here is where it will be taking place."

Hayato's breath caught in his chest as he stared at the town. It was familiar, because he had seen it in photographs in his family's photo albums. He may not have lived there, but he knew it from those pictures.

"Omiya..." he murmured.

Hokuto nodded. "Yes." His eyes softened as he gazed at the town. "Omiya was demolished in a Kaiju attack three years ago... And it's been in a ruined state ever since. So it's perfect for training since no one is there anymore."

The kids all nodded. "You'll mobilize right away to begin-"

However, their plans were cut short just as the K-Alert went off.

"Ah, shit! A K-Alert!" Tsuranuki exclaimed.

The director narrowed his eyes as he keyed the comm on his desk. "What are we looking at, Futaba?" he asked.

"_It's bad, sir! This has got to be the biggest Kaiju that we've seen!_" Futaba exclaimed. "_It's way bigger than a Coal Walker in its unfused form, that's for sure!_"

"What kind?" Hokuto repeated, his teeth bared.

"_It's a Hydra!_" Those words sent shivers down Hokuto's back. His eyes widened as he let his finger fall from the button.

A Hydra Kaiju class Grimm?! That was bad news...

"Shit...!"

"A Hydra? What's a Hydra?" Hayato asked in confusion.

"A rare kind of Kaiju Grimm. Only twice has it been seen before this," the director said, his voice shaking. "It is close to impossible to defeat... and for good reason. It has the ability to regenerate its heads every time one is cut off, so it's almost impossible to find the true head and kill it. In truth, the only two times they surfaced we had to resort to bombing the hell out of them. And that caused enormous amounts of damage and destruction. The government in power was seen as pariahs for their actions back then."

"And they were taken down, I hope?" Miku squeaked.

Hokuto nodded. "Yes... but at a cost in lives and damage. We've never seen another one until now..."

"Then we'll take care of it!" Tsuranuki said. "If there's a way to take it down, then we'll find it!"

Hayato nodded, his eyes hard.

So did the others.

The director nodded. "Okay. Get to the LinkPods and initiate LinkUp."

The kids saluted. "_Hai!_"

* * *

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

The six _Shinkalions_ revved their engines as they waited for the signal to launch.

"So, where is the Hydra?" Esebu asked Futaba.

"_The Hydra has surfaced near Tokyo Harbor. We'll fire a capture field and try to contain it, but I doubt it will work for long, given how strong these things are,_" she said. "_But it's better than nothing._"

"Right." Esebu couldn't nod, but he did agree with her on the plan.

"_You six be careful. This thing is unlike anything you've faced before,_" Futaba cautioned.

"_Hai!_" the six said.

The signal turned green and the team disengaged their brakes, putting more power to their wheels.

"Esebu, E7 Kagayaki..."

"Haifu, H5 Hayabusa..."

"Fumikiri, E3 Tsubasa..."

"Matagi, E6 Komachi..."

"Nozoma, N700A..."

"Efu, E5 Hayabusa..."

"_Shuppatsu shinkō!_" the six declared.

Esebu was the first one to pull out. His engine revved as he put more power to his wheels. '_Okay! I just hope we can win this one..._' he thought with a nervous gulp.


	23. HYDRA

Sammael had to sneer as he watched the Hydra Grimm from within his castle.

"I have to admit, my friend... your Grimm has really shown me much potential," he purred.

Beside him, I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. hummed as he folded his arms across his broad chest. "After studying the young Faunus, I decided that it would be appropriate to give it some... unique... abilities suited for the task at hand." His optics then pulsed red. "But that is just the beginning. The more hatred exists, the stronger it becomes."

Sammael couldn't help but chuckle. "Always trying to perfect the Grimm, aren't we?"

"Yes. And I was actually thinking... maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to... test... our newest creations against these... Shinkalions..." the huge Gundam rumbled. "After all, with more Hunters and Huntresses taking down the Grimm, and with Van Kleiss having gotten the wrong kind of attention from the law... and those so-called archaeologists, it would be best to have a testing ground of sorts to perfect the Grimm we develop."

Sammael tilted his head. "Oh? Are you suggesting we turn Japan into our testing site?"

The Fallen/Gundam nodded. "Yes. We continue to send them Kaiju Grimm. Make them think that they are winning. But... when the time comes, after much testing and perfecting, then we strike."

The red-haired Fallen actually laughed. "I knew I liked you!" he chortled. Then he gazed at the Gundam/Fallen hybrid. "I like your thinking, my friend. I actually agree that it would be beneficial to us to do so. And perhaps, we can see just how far we can push them."

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. chuckled darkly. "That is an idea I can get behind..." he hummed.

Then he turned to the screen showing the Grimm as it started to snake its way towards the station. "And maybe we can see just how well this CIS of theirs works out..."

Sammael leaned back in his seat, tenting his fingers. "Yes... Let's see indeed..."

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: CENTRAL INTERCEPT SYSTEM_**

_The Central Intercept System is a combat system designed to contain Kaiju-class Grimm and to prevent collateral damage to the city around it. The system was established as a redoubt shelter back before the Time of Awakening, only to be modified heavily over the course the years to become the facility it is today. While the original bunker has long since been removed, the concept has remained within the minds of Japan's ruling class and the Imperial Family for over one thousand years._

_Its modern iteration is well equipped to handle Grimm and to ensure that no lives are lost. The key features of this system are the energy shield and blast doors, which create a high-level containment field whereas a capture field would be inefficient against the Hydra Kaiju Grimm. Gun turrets line the sides of the shield to keep any Grimm from attacking the blast doors, and it can withstand large numbers of Grimm attacking it at once. Tokyo Station, however, is vulnerable as it is located within the barrier. But it is a risk that is acknowledged and accepted._

_The system also doubles as a fully self sufficient apocalyptic bunker that can remain isolated for a full decade._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to holdouts, many think of the term in a military sense," Izumi mused as he looked up from a report. "But a holdout can mean other things, too. Like a political holdout. People who won't move from someplace because it's a home or a business that has remained in their family for generations."

He brought up several images on the main monitor with a tap of the keyboard. "Take for instance the holdouts of the troops at Dunkirk during World War II during the evacuation. Or even just the entire country of England holding out on their own for an entire year. That is one instance of a holdout. Or a man who wouldn't sell his home in another reality. A woman with a fierce determination to remain true to her country's ideals. Or even a mechanical civilization that endured a long harsh civil war, only to rebuild their society."

He lowered his hand and tapped again on the keyboard, only for the images to fade. "So next time you think of the word holdout, try and imagine the context in its use. It may mean something surprising."

* * *

**CHAPTER XXII - HYDRA**

Screams and panic.

That was the first thing he heard as they sped down the rail lines towards the harbor.

Esebu's frame shuddered as he put more power into his wheels.

Already he could see the massive imposing form of the Hydra.

With six heads, it stood at a massive forty meters tall, with broad shoulders and chest. A sinister spiked tail swished behind it, and on each of its heads was a pair of horns. Its body was a blood red color, but it also had bone-like armor covering its vital points, especially on the heads. Black veins slithered throughout its body, adding to its imposing appearance, seeming to pulse with life. The Kaiju threw back all six of its heads as it roared, making buildings shake and shudder. The very ground seemed to shake from the mere force of its roar.

Esebu felt a shiver race through his chassis as he applied his brakes.

"Holy Glob...!" Fumikiri whispered, his voice hoarse. "That's... That's a Hydra?!"

"_Yes. And it appears to be slightly different from the originals we faced,_" Hokuto mused over their COMM systems.

"All the more reason for us to take it down then!" Esebu remarked. He revved his engine. "Let's do this, guys!"

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

Esebu was the first one to leap off the tracks, starting his transformation sequence.

He felt his front and rear engines disconnect from the rest of the _shinkansen_, linking up. The rear engine opened to reveal a pair of legs, each leg protected by the outer shell of the rear engine. His treads snapped into position on either side of his ankles. He sensed the rear of the front engine opening as the front shifted its position to become his chest and lower torso. His arms extended from the rear of the front engine and locked into position, his hands clenching as his shovel guards came down to protect against strikes to the hands. His head finally emerged, and his green-yellow optics flared online as he grasped his drill in one hand. He pressed the trigger and the drill spun a bit before he held it out to the side.

Haifu was the next one.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

She increased speed before vaulting off the tracks, initiating her transformation sequence.

Haifu's rear and front engines disconnected from the rest of the _shinkansen_, linking up. The rear half of the front engine folded out to reveal a pair of arms and shoulder guards much like his own, and the nose of the train became the chest of her humanoid form. The rear of the train unfolded into a pair of legs protected by the shell of the rear engine. Haifu's head emerged last, a pair of bright orange-yellow optics flaring online. Her rabbit ear-like extensions emerged from the back of her helm and twitched before she landed, grasping her sword as it formed in her grasp. A few swings of the blade and she landed, her weapon held out to the side.

Fumikiri was third.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

He didn't even hesitate as he leapt off the tracks, beginning his transformation sequence.

The _shinkansen_'s front and rear engines separated from the rest of the train before they linked up. Then, the rear half of the front engine folded out to reveal a pair of arms and shoulder guards much like his own, and the nose of the train became the chest of his humanoid form. The rear of the train unfolded into a pair of legs, protected by the shell of the rear engine. Fumikiri's head emerged last, a pair of light blue optics flaring online. The mecha landed on the rail closest to Esebu and crouched, holding two fingers in front of his faceplate. His other hand flew out and he summoned to his grasp his shuriken, snapping it open from kunai mode.

Matagi didn't even hold back.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

With a rev of his engine, he sprang forward, jumping off the tracks as his transformation sequence commenced.

The rear and front engines disconnected from the rest of the _shinkansen_ and linked up. The rear half of the front engine split open to become shoulders and arms for Matagi, the nose of his _shinkansen_ mode becoming the chest of his humanoid form. The rear engine split open, forming a pair of legs protected by the shell of the rear engine. Two pairs of wheels latched onto the sides of his feet, much like with Esebu's own treads. His head finally emerged last, his yellow optics flashing online. His hands extended to grasp the twin guns as they formed in the air. Once they were in his grasp, he spun them a few times before aiming them.

Nozoma was the next one.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

He gunned his engine before leaping clear of the rails, undergoing his transformation sequence.

His rear and front engines disconnected from the rest of the _shinkansen_ and linked up. The rear half of the front engine opened up to become a pair of arms and shoulders, the rest of the train's front engine transforming into a thruster set and the chest of his humanoid form. The rear engine split open to become a pair of legs, protected by the shell of the rear engine. His head emerged last as his light blue optics flashed online. He clenched his fists and lashed out in a few martial arts moves before taking a fighting stance, his twin energy blades coming online.

Efu was the final one.

"_CHANGE! SHINKALION!_"

He revved his engine as he dashed forward, his transformation sequence initiating.

The rear and front engines disconnected from the rest of the train and linked up. The rear half of the front engine split down the middle to become shoulders and arms, the front of the train becoming the chest of his humanoid form. The rear engine slid open down the middle, becoming a pair of legs guarded by the shell of the rear engine. Claws extended for traction from the feet while thrusters on the ankles slid open. His head was the last thing to emerge, his yellow optics flashing online. He held out a hand and summoned his sword to his grasp, swinging it a few times before he landed, holding it out to the side.

The six _Shinkalions_ landed on the ground, looking up at the huge Hydra. Its eyes glowed red as they locked onto the team... or more specifically, one mecha in particular.

"Okay... how are we gonna beat this thing?" Matagi wondered.

"Let's just take it down!" Efu exclaimed, startling the group.

"Wait! We don't know what it can do!" Esebu stated, grabbing Efu's arm. "We can't charge in without a plan!"

"Plan, shlan! Why should we? Isn't this what we signed up for?" Efu asked.

"Yes, but not recklessly charging in!" Esebu countered. His green optics burned into Efu's own. "Trust me. It's better to get an idea of what it can do before we just charge in."

Efu grumbled, but relented as he backed down.

With that taken care of, Esebu scanned the Grimm before them.

The thing was huge.

That much he could see.

And clearly it looked powerful. But what kind of abilities it had was unknown. And the best way to gain intel on that was to fight strategically. His optics pulsed as he spotted a few cranes close by, the kind used for offloading goods from ships. Then he glanced back to the Hydra as it roared, again making the surrounding area shudder from the sheer volume and force. The team staggered a little from the shockwaves. Esebu glanced back to the cranes, then the Hydra. "I got an idea," he said.

"Hm?" Fumikiri looked to his superior. "What?"

"See those cranes there?" Esebu pointed with his drill. The others nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well, we're gonna use them to fight this thing," he remarked.

"Hold on! How are we supposed to use cranes for fighting?" Efu asked in confusion.

"I mean," Esebu continued, "we use them to lob shipping containers at it, like slingshots."

Matagi scanned the cranes, his optics glowing a bit. "Hmm..." He could see that they were good for lifting, but not so much for slinging things. Unless Esebu meant using the cables to form a sort of sling...!

"I think I see where this story is headed," he mused. He looked to Esebu. "You wish to use the cables on the cranes as slings to lob the containers."

Esebu nodded. "Yep."

"And then what?" Efu asked. "Just hope it doesn't hit us?"

"No. This is to gauge its abilities and figure out what kind it has," Esebu clarified to the rookie. "Then we can figure out how to fight accordingly."

Efu groaned, but let it slide as Esebu continued to explain the plan.

The whole time, Efu glanced at the Grimm, feeling the urge to go in and kill it. He hated these things... especially since one had killed his mother and nearly caused him to become victim to Satyra indirectly. He clenched his hands on his sword, and he growled lowly.

He wasn't about to sit back and let anyone tell him how to fight! He was a _Shinkalion_, dammit! And he was about to give this Grimm a piece of his mind!

He let out a cry as he charged, startling the others and Esebu. "Wait! EFU!" he cried, his hand trying to grab the other _Shinkalion_, but he was faster and he only grabbed thin air.

"Oh, shit! He's gonna get killed!" Esebu growled as he looked to the others. "Haifu, you and Matagi get those crates ready to lob! Fumikiri, get the cables set up! Nozoma, you're with me!"

"_Hai!_" The team split up, with three running one way, two going for Efu.

Esebu's treads whirred as he pushed himself to his limits. "Efu, you idiot! You're just asking to be killed!" he muttered.

Nozoma sprinted beside him, his thrusters burning to boost his mobility and speed. His light blue optics flicked over to the blue and white leader. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"Get to him before he does something stupid!" Esebu snarled as he crouched a little to increase his speed a bit more. He started to 'skate' as he approached the other mecha, crouching and lunging forward.

But Efu was already in motion as he leapt into the air. His sword hummed hungrily as he cried out, thrusting it towards one of the leg joints.

Only for a loud roar to catch him off guard. The Hydra shifted one of its six heads down and, much to Esebu's surprise, green radioactive fire belched from its mouth. Efu cried out as he threw up his Aura at the last second, the breath pushing him down towards the ground. Esebu roared as he charged in, leaping forward and catching Efu in his grasp. He summoned his Aura around them both as they went rolling from the force of the lunge.

Esebu groaned as he looked down to Efu, who shook his helm. "D-Dammit...!" he muttered.

The lead _Shinkalion_ glanced back at the Hydra as it snorted out remnants from its fire breath. Actually, he had to admit Efu's stupid stunt had revealed something important.

'_Okay. Looks like this thing's got fire breath, just like Grimmzilla did,_' he noted. '_So that's one ability we learned of. But from here on out, we have to fight with strategy and not brute force._'

The only trouble was convincing Efu to follow through with it.

The green and white _Shinkalion_ was already staggering to his feet, his optics burning. "Dammit, Esebu! Let me at it!"

"No!" Esebu shouted, grabbing Efu by his arm. "We can't! It's too dangerous!"

Efu tugged at his arm, trying to pry himself free from Esebu's grasp. "No!" he cried.

The lead _Shinkalion_ didn't lessen his grip though. Instead, he tightened it, bracing himself as Efu struggled to escape.

"Just stop this!" he pleaded.

Again, Efu refused. He kept struggling. "I...gotta...get...it!" he growled.

Esebu was now worried. This was unlike Efu in many ways. Sure he had a hatred for the Grimm, but to see him suddenly losing himself to said hatred? This was worrisome. And he needed answers.

The Hydra roared as it aimed two heads at the struggling _Shinkalion_ pair. Esebu gasped as he tightened his grip on Efu and pulled him back, using his treads to quickly reverse course. The two heads belched that radioactive fire, and Esebu was forced to weave back from it, Efu struggling in his grasp.

"Tell me you guys have the slingshot set up!" Esebu barked into his comm.

"_We got it! Just need to finish calibrating!_" Fumikiri remarked.

Nozoma's thrusters roared and Esebu glanced up as he spotted the white _Shinkalion_ lunging for one of the heads. His energy blades flashed as he cut, intending to take its head clean off. But it whipped itself around, and those red eyes lit up, firing off laser beams that struck Nozoma's chest as he threw up his Aura in the nick of time. He cried out as he was thrown back by the impact, landing on the pavement and creating a crater.

"_Hurry!_" Esebu screamed.

"_Target locked! Fire One!_" Those four words made Esebu glance up, searching for the incoming projectile. His optics picked out something coming in rapidly, and he zoomed his vision in on it. He wasn't surprised to see it was a shipping container, but this one was apparently loaded with something heavy. The container flew towards the Hydra, slamming into its nearest head full force and sending a few teeth flying from the hit. Esebu, keeping a firm grip on Efu, rolled to the side as one of those teeth hit the pavement and impaled itself into the concrete.

"_Nice shot!_" came Futaba's voice.

"Get another one ready!" Esebu ordered as he looked to Nozoma as he staggered to his feet. "You okay?" he called.

"Takes more than that to beat me..." Nozoma grunted.

"Let...me...GO!" Efu screamed, finally stomping hard on Esebu's left foot. The lead _Shinkalion_ yelped as he grabbed his foot, letting go of Efu as he did so.

He glanced up, and his optics flashed in terror. "EFU!" he cried. "STOP!"

But the other _Shinkalion_ didn't listen. His optics burned as he thrust his sword forward, a loud feral roar coming from his throat. And for an instant, Esebu saw something that terrified him.

Efu's optics... were a red color. But then it was gone, and he shot a glance towards the Hydra as it screeched, this time lowering two of its heads, those lasers coming out from its eyes as it fired at him.

Esebu growled as he lunged, his hand flying out to grab Efu's arm, but he missed as the green and white _Shinkalion_ engaged his wing thrusters, propelling himself into the air in a flurry of pinkish particles. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ growled as he summoned his Wheelset Drill to his hand and engaged his treads. "Dammit! What's gotten into him?!" he muttered.

Nozoma grunted as he kicked on his thrusters again and charged forward, following the lead _Shinkalion_. "Damn kid's gonna get killed!" he growled.

Efu, on the other hand, could think of nothing else but to kill this Grimm and show that he was not about to be left in the dust. Not after so much loss and so much suffering! He wanted the one behind these things to suffer, to pay for what he had been put through! And _no one_ was going to stop him! _No one!_

With a loud roar, he held his sword over his head and swung it with both hands, his optics burning reddish orange as he cut, creating a gash on the Hydra's neck, but not severing its head. He twisted his frame around and drove a fist clean into the Hydra's visible eye, sending black ooze everywhere. He growled in a sick pleasure as he pulled his fist out, holding its eye ball in his hand.

Esebu, if he were human, would've been sick.

This was not the kid he knew as his friend.

It was like Efu had become a beast. A beast in metal form.

He glanced to the Hydra as it fired off a salvo of eye lasers towards Efu. But he reacted with uncanny speed and leapt back, landing on the ground and skidding before he looked up, rage pulsing in those formerly yellow optics of his. Nothing but pure rage and bloodlust.

And the Hydra roared.

Efu responded in kind.

Esebu felt chills run down his spinal struts as he glanced to Nozoma, and for once, he could see the worry in the white mecha's optics. The two seemed to get the same idea, and both nodded. Esebu gripped his drill as Nozoma clenched his fists, the energy blades humming with power. His treads whirred as he gunned it, channeling as much power as he could into them. Nozoma's thrusters roared as he darted forward, and then he sprang into the air. His jump allowed him to vault up close to where Efu was about to deliver another blow to the Grimm, and he heard Matagi's voice over his comm.

"_Target locked! Fire Two!_"

A second later, Esebu saw the incoming crate, and he looked to Nozoma. "Get outta the way!" he barked.

Nozoma looked over and his optics flashed as he dove down, his arms curling around Efu's chest and arms, pinning them to his sides. The shipping container impacted against the Hydra's third and fourth heads, causing them to recoil from the force of the blow. A few more teeth went sailing and Nozoma smirked in his thoughts. The Hydra whipped its heads around, two of them locking onto where the other three _Shinkalions_ were located. Its eyes flared red before it opened those two mouths, and two massive green fireballs were launched with the force of missiles right for their location!

"_MOVE!_" Fumikiri shouted over the comm. Esebu actually swore that had he been able to, he'd have winced. He looked back at the white _Shinkalion_ as he landed, holding a screaming, writhing Efu in his grasp. "I don't know how much longer I can hold him!" he grunted.

Esebu growled as he spun and came to a stop in front of the green and white _Shinkalion_. He walked up, dismissing his drill as he did so. Nozoma was serious as he watched, a hint of worry visible in his optics. Efu glared at the blue and white leader with hatred in those reddish orange optics, and he started to squirm, making animalistic noises. Esebu watched with wariness before he held up a hand and the shovel guard snapped down over his clenched fist. Then he swung.

Hard.

The blow of his fist meeting Efu's metal faceplate resonated, and Nozoma gaped briefly before he noticed the green and white mecha slump in his grasp, optics dimmed from the force of the blow. "Keep an eye on him!" he ordered. "I think I have an idea as to what-"

Whatever he was gonna say was cut off as the Hydra's blasts exploded against where the others had been. He whipped his helm around and stared in shock at the greenish grey smoke as it curled up, leaving that telltale mushroom cloud behind. It wasn't as big as a standard nuke cloud, but it was still sufficient enough to cause worry for the people and Faunus and Mobians in the area. "GUYS!" he cried, fear filling the location where his stomach would've been.

"_Ugh... That was way too close for comfort..._" came Matagi's voice.

"_We're fine, Esebu. Just rattled,_" Haifu remarked.

"_We'll live,_" Fumikiri panted.

Esebu sighed in relief. "I'm just glad you guys are all right," he said.

"_Yeah. That aside, what were you gonna say?_" Matagi asked. "_Because from what I've heard, it seemed like Efu lost it, right?_"

"Yeah. I had to knock him out for a bit," Esebu explained. "I have a feeling that this Hydra has something to do with it."

"How so?" Nozoma asked as he laid Efu out on the ground, kneeling down beside him. "Because I don't see how."

"I do," Esebu stated. "When Efu laid eyes on it, it seemed that his hatred suddenly increased to overcome his rational mind. And those blasts of fire... the normal Kaiju fire breath does not move that fast, or pack that much explosive power. I think somehow, it's drawing out Efu's rage and boosting it to feed on, making itself stronger and then the cycle repeats."

"How could you even know that anyway?" Nozoma asked as he looked up at Esebu.

In truth, Esebu wasn't even sure if it was even true. "Actually, I'm just guessing. But these two things seemed to be linked. So I'm going based off of that," he admitted. "But until we know for sure, we'll have to assume as much."

He glanced at Efu with worry in his green optics. The blue and white _Shinkalion_ turned back to the Hydra, his optics burning as he clenched his hand and summoned his Wheelset Drill back to his grasp.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**COMMAND CENTER**

* * *

Futaba was worried.

The sudden spike in Efu's aggression was not normal.

And then the way the Hydra's eyes had glowed red... Something was off. But what?

She pursed her lips as she started to scan the green and white _Shinkalion's_ systems. Everything seemed to be operating normally, so what was going on with him?

Beside her, Honjo was examining the data being relayed to the SDI from the team in regards to the Hydra. His eyes were narrowed as he scanned it over, running it through the computer network and Shashot's systems.

"Anything?" Futaba asked.

"So far the data has not shown anything that could lead to an increase in Efu's aggression," Honjo mused. "But that doesn't mean there isn't a pattern or cause. We just have to find it."

"But what is that cause?" Futaba murmured.

"_If I may, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that this happened right after Efu made eye contact with that Hydra,_" Shashot suggested. "_According to the data, the Hydra's eyes glow red, and then there is a sudden increase in Efu's aggression. So perhaps the two are linked somehow._"

Futaba pursed her lips as she looked at the data, then at the readouts for Efu. She put her hand to her chin, narrowing her eyes. "If that's the case...then that means...!" Her eyes widened as the realization struck home. "The more hatred it generates... the stronger it becomes! They're in danger!" she cried.

Shashot's voice was grim as he spoke. "_Do you wish for me to communicate this to the team?_"

"Yes!" Futaba barked. "And now!"

"Hai!"

* * *

**BATTLESPACE**

**EN ROUTE TO TOKYO STATION**

* * *

Esebu grunted as he dodged a blast from the Hydra, its eyes pulsing red. He landed on his feet and skidded a bit, holding his drill in one hand and a battered truck cab in the other.

He looked up, his optics dimming a shade as he clenched his hands on his weapons. He tensed his frame and threw the battered truck cab right for the Hydra's chest. The vehicle's remains just bounced off it, and he hissed through his vents. "Dammit!" he muttered.

Beside him Matagi landed, both gun barrels smoking from his recent assault on the Hydra's faces. He looked to the lead _Shinkalion_. "Any luck?" he asked.

"None," Esebu remarked. "That hide is just too thick!" He cast his gaze to the faces of the Hydra, noticing that Matagi's shots had peppered three of them and one of the faces had an eye blown out by an ice Dust tipped round. A huge gouge of ice shimmered there, a stark white contrast to the red-colored scales on its face.

"Dammit...!" Matagi growled. "How are we supposed to beat this thing?!"

A crackling sound resonated in Esebu's hearing and he perked up at the sound of Shashot's voice.

"_Esebu, are you receiving my signal?_" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Esebu replied. "What's up?"

"_Futaba and Honjo just discovered something disturbing based on the readouts from your frames and the data you've been transmitting back to base,_" Shashot explained. "_It has to do with Efu's sudden increase in aggression._"

Esebu's shoulders tensed at that. "You gotta be kidding me...! What is it?!" he cried.

Shashot's voice was grim as he spoke. "_When you first saw the Hydra, did you notice its eyes flash red?_"

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ nodded. "Yes... I did," he murmured, his mind starting to race. "What about it?"

"_We think it may be the cause of Efu's increased aggression,_" Futaba said darkly.

Esebu's frame tensed. "No way...! Then... this whole time...!"

"_The more aggression it draws out of Efu, the stronger it becomes,_" Shashot concluded.

Esebu glanced to Efu's still frame, worry and fear flooding his processor. Nozoma was carrying him draped over his shoulder, but he looked ready to bolt if the green and white _Shinkalion_ woke up and became aggressive towards him.

"_You have to find a way to prevent it from making eye contact with him,_" Futaba stated. "_And as you know, a Hydra has the ability to regenerate its heads. That means-_"

"That means no matter how many times we cut off its heads... they just regenerate!" Esebu breathed in shock.

"Hai." Futaba was serious as she said this. "_So Efu can't fight. But you guys can._"

"There are _six_ heads though!" Esebu countered. "We _all_ need to be in on this, not just four or five of us!"

And he was right. His mind was already racing to come up with a plan. He scanned around him, spotting Fumikiri as he whipped his shuriken out and sent the weapon buzzing through the air, this time managing to sever one of the heads. A screech of agony tore through the air as the head fell to the ground, creating a massive crater in the pavement as the Hydra continued to make its way across the city towards Tokyo Station.

"Nice shot!" Matagi shouted to the ninja _Shinkalion_.

Fumikiri snatched his shuriken out of the air as it came flying back towards him and he held it off to the side as he glanced to Esebu. "But it will only last for so long!" he remarked. "Look!"

He pointed to the neck where the head had been, and already Esebu could see the tendrils of Dark Substance starting to form a new head. "Shit! We gotta stop that!" he shouted.

"_It's not possible to stop a Hydra from regenerating its heads,_" Futaba said softly. "_The Dark Substance just accelerates it, and with the hatred it's feasted on, it's only bound to have accelerated even further._"

And she was right. Esebu could already see that the tendrils were forming a new skeletal structure and muscles. His optics flashed as he gripped his drill. "Then what'll we do?" he asked. "This thing's got to have some kind of a weakness!"

"_We're scanning it even as we speak. Just keep it headed towards Tokyo Station!_" Futaba ordered.

"_NANI!?_" Haifu was shocked. "You're kidding!"

"_Just trust us!_" Futaba shouted. "_We know what we're doing!_"

The team looked at one another, but decided to trust her. They nodded.

"We will," Esebu said. "Just do what you have to do."

"_Right._" Futaba shut down the comm line, and the team returned their attention to the fight at hand.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**DIRECTOR'S OFFICE**

* * *

"You want to engage the system?" Hokuto asked.

Futaba nodded as she stood before him. "_Hai._ This way we can contain the Grimm and prevent more damage to the city and its infrastructure."

The director placed his elbows on the desk as he leaned forward. His eyes narrowed as he pondered the possibilities. He could already see the need for the system, but in its current iteration, it was totally untested. So they needed to be sure on the choice of activating it or not. And then there was the task of clearing out Tokyo Station to trigger the system, and to encourage those within the designated bunker section to stay inside. And only one man had that kind of power. He looked up.

"Get me in touch with Prime Minister Sanban," he ordered. "We need his clearance on this matter."

Futaba nodded and tapped in a few commands on her tablet. At once, on Director Hayasugi's computer terminal, the image of the prime minister's sigil appeared, followed by a small phone symbol ringing. The wait was agonizing, as it seemed every second stretched into hours. Hokuto's eyes narrowed as he watched the screen, his right fingers tapping on the desk while his chin rested on his clenched left hand.

Thankfully not much longer passed before the screen gave way to show Prime Minster Sanban as he sat at his desk. "_Ah. Director. To what do I owe this call?_" he asked.

"I'm sorry to make this call suddenly, but we need your clearance on something," Hokuto began.

"_Does it have to do with that Hydra rampaging towards the station?_" Kani asked, his eyes glimmering. "_Because it's all over the news. Your project's cover so far has held, but if people start to get suspicious..._"

"We'll get to that when the time comes," the director clarified. "Right now we need your approval to use it."

Kani's eyebrow arched as he looked out his office window. "_Ah. You mean the CIS, correct?_"

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yes."

"_..._" Kani bowed his head and sighed. "_Normally I can't just approve it. It has to be done by the Ministry of Defense as well. But in this case... given the circumstances, I am willing to allow it, seeing as how dangerous the Hydra Grimm are._"

The director nodded. "Thank you, sir," he said.

The Prime Minister frowned. "_Just do not expect this to happen again. This is only for dire circumstances, after all._"

The communications shut down, and Hokuto turned to Futaba. "Get the CIS team prepped and ready! They are to evacuate the station of all civilians and get anyone within the bunker section inside the buildings until the fight has ended!" he ordered.

"_Hai!_" Futaba turned and ran off, leaving Hokuto to ponder what this would mean for the future of Project SKL.

* * *

**TOKYO STATION BUNKER SYSTEM**

* * *

All across the station plaza and surrounding buildings, alarms began to blare, catching the attention of passerby and tourist alike. Already SDI personnel were swarming out of the underground tunnels to the surrounding surface exits to usher people inside for their own safety. Tokyo Station security forces urged people to evacuate to the buildings outside or to take shelter in the emergency bunker entrances beneath the station itself. The process was a bit hurried, but it was orderly and efficient, having been done numerous times before during recent Kaiju attacks in the last decade. The efforts of both SDI and Tokyo Station personnel were well-refined and well-oiled to the point they worked seamlessly like a machine. A few foreigners were surprised by this, but some argued that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the underground bunker of the CIS up close and in person. A few people eagerly rushed into the buildings as alarms began to wail.

Just as an intense clap of thunder tore open the cloudy sky. Dark clouds flashed with lightning, and rain began to pour down from the heavens.

Some people put up their umbrellas, but others were too focused on getting into the shelters just as a programmed voice rang out over the loudspeaker system.

"_Attention all travelers to Tokyo Station. All travel from Tokyo Station has been prohibited due to a Kaiju attack. The Central Intercept System has now been activated. Please remain inside the buildings until the bunker has been sealed._"

People stayed inside as the lights suddenly went dark. Some curious people pulled out their phones and began to record as the system's emergency lights kicked on, bathing the designated bunker buildings in eerie red light. Then, a rumble filled the air as the large hydraulic elevator system began to lower the platform down into the ground beneath the station. Videographers began to video record the process and a few bloggers began to narrate what they were seeing, while others watched with worry on their faces. This was the first time since the earthquakes that the system had been used, and its capabilities in this current configuration were unknown.

The entire section descended until it was well below the blast doors which began to ominously glide into position over their heads. The bunker began to grow darker and darker until the doors slammed shut with a resounding _clang_ of metal on metal. Overhead, large latches clamped shut, locking the bunker section deep underground.

Aboveground, it was a different story.

People outside the station were watching as the shield generators kicked on, but didn't generate its shield yet. They could already see the six train-like mecha as they made their way to the bunker, the Hydra following. Some pointed and screaming began to come from the gathered onlookers as the Hydra launched a barrage of nuclear firepower at them. The people scattered every which way, but it wasn't enough. The blasts killed tens of them, but the damage was a lot less than feared due to the lack of power.

And Esebu was quick to notice this.

'_Huh... That's strange... Why are its blasts suddenly getting_ weaker...?' he wondered. '_Is it because Efu is knocked unconscious? Or is it because it doesn't have enough hate to feast on?_'

He had no idea, but whatever the cause, it seemed that the more hate it feasted on, the more powerful it became. But robbed of hatred, it seemed to get weaker every time it used its powers. Like a battery running out of juice...!

'_That's it! Without Efu's hatred, it runs out of steam! And that gives me an idea!_' he thought.

"Haifu, I need you to stay with Efu! Nozoma, you're with me, Fumikiri, and Matagi!" Esebu ordered.

"What's the plan?" Haifu asked as the team landed and assembled.

"Okay. This thing I learned draws on hatred, specifically Efu's hatred. The more hate it draws out, the more powerful it becomes, and it just repeats in a vicious cycle," Esebu explained. "But, since Efu is knocked out, that robs it of its source, because when it makes eye contact with him, its eyes glow red and then his aggression is increased. So, our goal is to prevent it from making eye contact with Efu at all costs. The best way to do that is to take out its eyes."

He gestured to the Hydra as it roared, its severed head finished reforming. "Matagi, you and Fumikiri use long range to take out its eyes. Nozoma, you and I will back them up. Haifu, you stay with Efu when he wakes up. Then we need you to try and convince him that what he was doing is not the right way to fight against something like this. And for God's sake, keep him from making eye contact with this thing until its eyes are taken out!"

The whole team looked at one another, then at the Hydra as it came for them, all four legs pounding the pavement.

"MOVE!" Nozoma bellowed.

The team dove to the sides, just as the Hydra lost its footing as it pitched headfirst into the pit of the Central Intercept System.

* * *

**TOKYO STATION SERVERS**

* * *

_**"CENTRAL INTERCEPT SYSTEM ACTIVATED."**_

_**"ENERGY SHIELD: ENGAGED."**_

_**"CANNONS: ONLINE."**_

_**"BUNKER: SEALED."**_

_**"CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL INITIATED."**_

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

"Sir, we got it! They Hydra has fallen into the CIS!" a technician exclaimed.

"Excellent! Is the shield online?" Hokuto asked.

"It's coming online now, sir!" he said.

The director turned to face the main monitor, showing the scene outside within the CIS.

The energy shield generators came online, blue interlocking panels of energy connecting as they arched over the entire area, creating the containment field. The cannons on the outside of the barrier whirred as they came around, locking into position in case the shield was ever breached. Within the station, the command center started to rotate out, revealing the windows of the facility itself. Above, sections of the basement beneath Tokyo Station slid apart as the barrel of the Dust cannon extended out, followed by the turret itself. The cannon had, in contrast to the ones aboveground, four barrels as opposed to two, and they were capable of rotating or splitting into two separate cannons. And it was commanded from within the center itself.

Hokuto stood up and walked to the main monitor, his arms crossed and a serious look on his face. "Let's hope this works..." he murmured, "...otherwise it's all for naught..."

He watched as the _Shinkalions_ landed within the containment center, their weapons held at the ready. Except for Efu, who was being watched over by Haifu. She stood in front of him protectively, her sword at the ready in case the Hydra went for Efu again.

The team and Hydra stood facing each other down, and the tension in the room was thick. It felt like it could be cut with a knife.

And then the Hydra lunged.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE:**_

**NAME: Hydra**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: Legendary**

**BASIS: Hydra of Greek Mythology**

**ABILITIES: The Hydra has several unique abilities, each to make up for its relative weaknesses. It has six heads, and each head can regenerate itself if severed from the main body. The heads can unleash radioactive fire breath or can fire off eye lasers from their eyes. The heads have to all be taken down at the exact same time to prevent them from regenerating. The Hydra also can manifest a pair of wings to shield itself using the Dark Substance within its body. These wings are not meant for flight and can easily be cut off at the joints. Due to Hayato's hatred of the Grimm, the Hydra has the ability to enhance that hatred and feed off of it, making it more powerful. But it can only happen once it makes eye contact with Hayato. Its core is located beneath its pectoral muscles.**


	24. HAYATO

The first thing he realized when he came to was that his processor was pounding.

A groan escaped his vocalizer as his optics slowly flickered on, the static fading to show the readouts of his frame.

Efu's head was throbbing. Or rather it felt like someone had used his head for a drum set.

He shifted slightly, hearing the sounds of battle not too far off in the distance.

Wait...

_Battle?!_

His optics flared online as he sat up abruptly, only to regret it later when he felt a surging sense of nausea surfacing in his gut. He moaned as he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. Efu looked to the right, only to see the worried optics of Haifu gazing back at him. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Ugh... I feel like someone used my head for a drum set..." he muttered, rubbing his helm with one hand. "What happened?"

Haifu glanced back over her shoulder at the battle raging, and then she turned back to face him. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"Just... seeing that Hydra and then... nothing," Efu explained. "Nothing but... rage...rage and hatred. All I could think about was... killing... killing and nothing more."

Haifu's rabbit ear-like extensions flattened at the description. "Efu... that Grimm... it... it made direct eye contact with you, and well... it seems like it can boost your aggression and hatred and then feeds on it to make itself stronger..."

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: GRAN CROSS_**

_The Gran Cross is the special move of Hayato Hayasugi/Efu. This move allows him to fire off a blast of energy from the cannon secreted in the chest of his _Shinkalion_ frame. The cannon is hidden where the nose coupling of the _shinkansen_ engine is, and the covers open to reveal the barrel of the cannon. This move is the most powerful out of the six moves the team can use, packing more power than Matagi's Fumikiri Cannon. When at maximum output, the blast of energy glows a brilliant green. But when at full power, it glows bright golden. When in use, Efu's Aura glows a brilliant green, but when he boosts it to max power, his Aura turns a golden color. While powerful, it has a drawback in that it drains Efu's energy considerably, so it has to be used wisely, making it a one-shot use weapon._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"What does a secret weapon mean?"

Izumi shifted in his seat as he eyed the audience (you). He tapped a monitor and the screen flickered to life, showing a devastating mushroom cloud blooming over a city in one reality, and another showing a humanoid war machine lunging for a cluster of smaller fighter craft.

"Take a look at these two weapons. The first one was the result of a top secret endeavor in World War II, leading to the first ever nuclear bombs. This was only one secret weapon, but it had the most impact because it ushered in an era of, for the first time, peace. Peace that lasted well beyond a few measly decades. It has lasted close to a century at this stage of the game. The longest peace between nations in a world's history. All because of two bombs and the destruction thet could unleash."

He then gestured to the second screen. "This second one is the result of someone underestimating another world. Take a look at these fighters. See how nimble they are? Well, not everything has to be small to hold their own. Like the mobile suit you see there. It is just as agile, if not more so, than the fighters, despite the larger mass. The secret is in its humanoid construction, and the AMBAC system it uses. That is its secret weapon."

Izumi lowered his hands and tented his fingers. "And in World War II, there have been countless other weapons developed as well: such as Colossus, one of the first ever computers dedicated to cracking the codes of the Enigma machine. So, if someone says they have a secret weapon, expect it to be a game changer."

* * *

**CHAPTER XXIII - HAYATO**

To Efu, this was bad.

He hadn't even bothered to consider what the Grimm was even capable of, and now... his friends were in danger all because of his stupidity!

He buried his head in his hands, shoulders shaking as he sat there on the ground, crying.

"I...I'm such an idiot!" he sobbed. "I...I shouldn't even be here! I wound up putting you guys in danger! All because of _me!_"

"Efu! Get a hold of yourself!" Haifu reached over and grabbed him, shaking him by the shoulders. His helm snapped up as he looked directly into her own yellow-orange optics.

"Get a hold of yourself! It was not your fault!" she stated firmly. "_That Hydra_ made you act out, not you yourself! Got it?!"

"But..." Efu looked away. "It was still my fault... I made eye contact with it..."

"What happened in the past can't be changed! But what can happen is that you learn from this and move forward!" Haifu stated. She let go of his shoulders and stood up, turning back to face the fight. "Stay put for now. You need it."

With that, she barged back into the fray.

Efu glanced down at his hands, guilt and fear invading his thoughts. Fear at how he had been reacting, and guilt at letting his anger and hatred overcome him. He buried his helm in his hands, shoulders shaking.

'_What should I do?!_' he thought to himself, sobs breaking free from his chest. '_There's no way I can go back out there... not since..._ since...' His thoughts trailed off as he sat there, drawing his legs close to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, burying his head in his knees. He shouldn't even be here! Hell, he was a danger to his own teammates and friends! If that Hydra kept drawing on his hatred, hell, he could alone provide that thing enough power to destroy the city!

For once, Efu did not know what to do. Least of all how to fight this thing.

Maybe...

Maybe he had gotten in over his head here...

A loud roar made him wince and he ducked his head as he heard Esebu's voice call out to one of the others.

"Get that last eyeball, Matagi!" he screamed.

"A lot easier said than done! This thing can generate a barrier, like that Mighty Crab!" Matagi bellowed back.

Efu felt the urge to peek up at the Hydra, but he wisely kept his optics hidden in his knees as another roar made him wince in his thoughts.

All he could really do at this point was just stay where he was. In fact, it sounded like his friends were doing better without him.

Maybe...

He shot a glance at one of the tunnels within the CIS, and he wondered if he could escape through that. But a sign above it indicated it was out of order or something. He turned away, guilt filling his chest.

"What can I do?" he whispered, unaware of what was to happen next...

"YEAH! Got 'em!" Fumikiri exclaimed.

Efu didn't even look up. He just curled tighter.

"Nice work!" came Esebu's remark. "That's two sets down, and four to go!"

The green and white _Shinkalion_ stayed put.

'_Maybe I should've just let Satyra take me..._' he thought grimly. '_Anything's better than being here... being a living battery for a Grimm like this one..._'

Esebu landed on the ground, skidding back as he hefted his drill, dripping with black sludge from where he had drilled deep into the skull of the Hydra. He looked up, smirking in his thoughts as he saw that three of the heads were missing their eyes. Fumikiri's shuriken had taken out two eyeballs on one head and Matagi had nailed the second head with a barrage of blistering firepower, blowing out two more eyeballs. The third head had been all Esebu's doing. Both eyes had been drilled out by him, and now it was Nozoma's turn to go for a head.

"Nozoma, you're up!" he said. "But be careful if that thing generates its barrier again!"

"Already aware of that," Nozoma mused as he charged in, his thrusters roaring. He sprang off the ground, summoning his twin blades to his wrists. He thrust them forward, only for that black sludge to form into those wings again before it curled around the Hydra's face, trying to shield its eyes from damage.

Nozoma's blades glanced off the barrier, and he flipped his frame around, springing off of the barrier and landing on the ground, hissing through his vents in frustration. "Dammit!" he muttered. "We got three pairs of eyes left, and this thing is adapting to our strategies!"

Esebu hated to admit it, but he was right. The three pairs of eyes they had taken out was mostly reliant on luck and anticipation. But since that barrier was proving to be a hassle, they needed to find a way to breach it. The only question was _how_. They lacked any real powerful weapons, aside from his Wheelset Driver and Matagi's Fumikiri Barrage, both of which were powerful in their own right, but not as powerful as they would've liked.

He glanced to Efu who sat huddled into a ball, and he growled to himself. They needed Efu, and soon.

But the trouble was his guilt. It was weighing him down. And that they couldn't have.

He looked up to the Hydra as it roared at them. Its remaining six eyes flashed red, and he saw Efu curl up tighter, or at least try to, considering he was already as close to a ball as possible. Esebu gripped his drill as he lunged again, channeling his Aura into the weapon. The blue light shimmered around his frame before seething into the drill, and he pressed the trigger three times. The Dust dispensers slid open and the familiar particles of ice Dust began to float out, giving the weapon its icy sheen. He revved his treads, using their speed to boost his impact. "RAAAAAAAAAH! _**WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!**_"

The lead _Shinkalion_ drove the tip of his drill into the barrier, the ice Dust spreading out across its surface, freezing it as much as it could.

"Nozoma!" he cried, catching the white _Shinkalion's_ attention.

Nozoma looked at the icy surface and his optics flashed as he realized what Esebu was planning. He clenched his fist as his thrusters roared, sending him flying for the Hydra's barrier. "HAH!" He thrust his fist forward, the force of the impact shattering the barrier's frozen segment, sending shards every which way. Matagi shifted his stance as he brought down his _Namagahe_ Goggles, the green optics flashing online. He aimed his guns and fired off a salvo of bullets right for the Hydra's exposed eyes.

Once more the Hydra roared in pain as it shook its head, trying to dispel the agony from its missing eyeballs.

"Haifu!" Matagi yelled. "You're up!"

The white and green _Shinkalion_ femme bolted for the hole in the barrier, only for the Hydra's tail to whip out to try and hit her. She tensed, sensing the incoming blow and she crouched, leaping above and over the tail to land on the other side. She ran into the hole, using her thrusters to spring higher into the air.

However, that was as far as she got.

The Hydra's barrier suddenly pulsed, its dark wings unfurling and with a loud roar, it bashed its fifth head - her target - into her, sending her flying to the ground. A grunt escaped her as she impacted the blast doors, leaving no crater or cracks, but a cloud of dust from her impact. Haifu groaned as the Hydra slowly lifted its leg, intent on finishing her off.

Only for Matagi's guns to roar. "**_FUMIKIRI BARRAGE!_**"

The blazing red beams impacted the Hydra's foot, searing its scaly flesh and making it roar from the pain of the burns it received. That gave Esebu time to dart in using his treads, grabbing Haifu by the arm and hauling her onto his back, turning and speeding away as fast as he could go.

He spun around and came to a stop, holding Haifu in his grasp. She looked up, panting a bit. "Thanks..." she rasped.

"No problem," Esebu remarked. "But we have to get Efu in here to help. We can't keep this up on our own. And we _have_ to take down all six heads as one."

"But he's not even going to do anything," Haifu said, looking back at Efu who was still curled in a ball. "He's too scared of what could happen, as well as guilty for putting us in this predicament."

"Then we have to get him to get in," Esebu said grimly. "I don't like it, but we may have to put ourselves on the line to get him to get into the fray."

Haifu was stunned by his decision. "You... You can't be serious!" she blurted.

"I am, Haifu. It's our only bet at this stage of the game." Esebu's optics flashed briefly. "I said I didn't like it, didn't I?"

"And you're sure it will work?" Haifu asked, concerned.

"Honestly, no," Esebu admitted. "But what other choice do we have?"

He set Haifu on the ground and the two turned to face the Hydra as it glared at them, four pairs of its eyes blown out by the attacks of the _Shinkalions_. Matagi, Fumikiri, and Nozoma joined them, landing on the other side of Esebu as he gazed at the Grimm. "All right. We'll hold it here. There's no way it's getting to Efu!" Esebu growled, hefting his drill.

The others nodded grimly as they brandished their own weapons.

The Hydra roared as it crouched and broke into a run, intending on running down the five _Shinkalions_ in front of it. Esebu's optics flared as he flared his Aura, covering his frame within seconds as he crouched. The others followed suit. The beast growled as its four remaining eyes flashed red, and then four beams of energy lanced out from them, homing in on the five. Esebu barked out an order shortly after. "_MOVE!_"

The five split off in different directions as they lunged for the beast. Esebu's Aura began to seethe that brilliant blue color, channeling into his Wheelset Drill as he activated the Dust dispensers, the ice Dust covering it in a shimmering sheen of ice. He roared as he angled his frame, diving down from on high to strike at one of the heads, intent on taking it out. His drill whirred in his grasp as he aimed it at the center of the head. If he could just blow its eyes out using his Wheelset Kori Driver...

However, the Hydra seemed to sense his intentions as one of the blinded heads suddenly moved in front, and he gasped. "_WHAT?!_"

His drill slammed into the forehead of this blinded head, causing thick spikes of ice to erupt out of the eye sockets, nose, and mouth, pretty much turning it into a spiked ball. He swore loudly in Japanese as he broke off from the attack, landing on the ground and skidding back, glancing up. "_Kuso!_" His optics pulsed as he snarled. "Didn't see that one coming!"

Esebu looked to Fumikiri as the ninja _Shinkalion_ sent his shuriken buzzing towards one of the Hydra's heads, the greenish white of wind Dust spiraling around the blades. "_Fumikiri Kaze Shuriken!_"

The Hydra angled a blinded head into the trajectory of the bladed weapon, and Esebu gasped as he realized what was going to happen. "NO!" he cried, springing into action. He revved his treads and dashed forward, leaping into the air once he had a good enough sprint speed. His drill roared in his hands as he thrust it forward, slamming it directly into the chest of the Hydra.

A loud screeching threw everyone back; even Efu was thrown back by the force of the screech. They all cried out as they were blown over onto their backs. Esebu groaned as he forced the pain from his frame. A slight aching filled his joints, but he brushed it aside as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He glanced up at the Hydra's chest, and his optics flashd a bit in confusion. There was a small patch of ice there, but what was really baffling was the fact that the Hydra had screeched just as the tip of his weapon barely penetrated the flesh. And now that he thought about it...

Was it possible this thing had a core of sorts?

That would make sense...

Wouldn't it?

His pondering was interrupted as he heard Haifu cry out to him. "INCOMING!" she screeched.

Esebu's helm shot up and his optics flashed as he stared in shock at the Hydra's eyes glowing red again. This time they fired off two streams of red energy that seemed to seethe with black power, and he realized what that meant. "_Jigoku e iku!_" he swore. "Matagi!"

Matagi's red and white frame appeared overhead as he vaulted off Fumikiri's shoulders, his twin cannons roaring as he fired off his special move for a second time. "**_FUMIKIRI BARRAGE!_**" The blast roared out his cannons at full speed, the twin beams splitting into several smaller shots that slammed into the Hydra's own beams as well as the ground, the Grimm itself, and the energy field above them. The field's blue energy panels flickered as they became visible briefly before they returned to their cloaked state. Esebu gripped his drill as he looked back over his shoulder at Efu who was still curled up.

'_Hayato..._' he thought. '_We need you..._'

His attention was diverted back to the fight as the Hydra's heads began to adjust themselves, the mouths on the remaining five opening up to expose seething green fireballs. He looked to his teammates and barked out an order. "_GET MOVING!_"

The five _Shinkalions_ scattered as the heads opened fire on them. Esebu kicked off the wall of the CIS and flipped over the fireball that had been targeting him, and then he saw where it was headed!

"_NO!_" he screamed, his optics wide. "_MR. HAYASUGI!_"

That was what did it.

Efu's helm snapped up, and his optics locked onto the fireball as it sped right for the Tokyo Station Command center... the same space where his father was!

The Dust cannon above the visual port was slow to activate. Too slow.

And no one else was there to do something. The others were all fighting against the Hydra or in Esebu's case too far to make a difference.

Except for him.

He was the only one not fighting... like the coward he was. But...

No...

He... He couldn't... not after everything his dad had done for him... for everyone... and here he was being a sniveling little coward! All because of some Hydra beast that was drawing on his hatred to boost itself!

Efu couldn't let his father die... not now, not ever! Not after his efforts... That was why he was fighting! Not for vengeance, but to save the only family he had left: his little sister and his father. And he as hell was not about to back down because of a cowardly act!

He scrambled to his feet and sprang forward, his wing emitters howling as he thrust his hand out, as if reaching for the command center itself. His engine was racing in his chest as he neared the visual port...

The Dust cannon slowly spun up...

His Aura flared as he landed in front of the base and spread his arms...

Just as both the fireball and a blast of light struck him.

Then, Efu only saw blackness before vanishing into oblivion.

* * *

**MINDSCAPE**

* * *

_He couldn't feel anything._

_And that was worrisome._

_... Actually, now that he thought about it, it was kind of nice..._

_Nice to be free from everything..._

_Just... no one else but him..._

_Wait... Just him?!_

_Efu's optics flashed online as he abruptly sat up, a gasp escaping his vents as he did so. And immediately he regretted it as intense nausea surged through him. Instinct took over and he clapped a hand to his faceplate, but there was nothing for him to expel, least of all any method to do so. But it didn't stop him from making a gagging sound in the back of his vocalizer._

_He sat there for a few moments, trying to let his nonexistent stomach settle._

_Once he was sure he wasn't feeling sick, he looked up, letting his hand fall away from his faceplate._

_Efu felt his engine cease to function briefly as he realized he was all alone._

_There was nothing around him. Nothing except blank whiteness. He staggered to his feet, feeling something firm, yet unseen, beneath his feet. He looked around, cupping his hands around his faceplate. "Hello?!"_

_His voice didn't echo here, despite all logic saying it should've._

_He tried again. "Hello?"_

_And this time, someone answered._

_"Hello..."_

_Efu jumped as he looked around for the speaker, but there was no one else._

_At least until he felt someone's presence behind him._

_Instinct took over and his frame whipped itself around as he clenched a fist, letting the punch fly before a hand lashed out and caught it, surprising the _Shinkalion_. Efu's optics landed on the person behind him, and he swore his optics were malfunctioning. He raised his free hand and slapped his helm a few times, trying to get them to reset._

_But there was no getting them to, because there was no malfunction._

_The person he was seeing was real._

_Or rather the Faunus was._

_It was his mother, Sakura Hayasugi._

_The very woman who had died all those months ago defending Japan against Mothra... alongside other Hunters and Huntresses._

_Efu stared for what appeared to be an eternity before he heard her voice. "Well. Your reflexes are still as fast as I remember," she remarked, pulling her hand back. Efu straightened up, shock flooding his optics as he staggered back a bit._

_"Mom...? B-But... You... You're dead!" he blurted, pointing a shaky finger at her._

_"Am I? Or is it just that when our bodies expire, our souls linger behind?" Sakura asked cryptically. "In this world, there is much we still do not understand, nor can we fully explore what this world has to offer. And for all we know, ghosts and spirits do exist alongside us, just unseen, unheard, and unnoticed, except by those whose abilities allow them to see and interact with said entities. So, in reality, it is all up to the individual to determine if one is truly dead or not."_

_Efu tilted his helm to the side in confusion. "Uh..."_

_Sakura giggled. "But I digress. It's good to see you again, Hayato," she said._

_"B-But... how...?" Efu was baffled. How had she known it was him, despite the frame he wore...?_

_He glanced down at his hands, and they were still the same: mechanical hands attached to dark grey arms with white armor on the forearms._

_Sakura seemed to sense his thoughts at that point, placing a hand on one of his own. "I was observing you the whole time," she said softly. "And I must admit, I am proud of you for taking a stand against the Kaiju to protect others. But..."_

_Her eyes hardened as she let go of his hand, catching his attention._

_"The way you fight... it's only going to doom your friends and yourself."_

_"Huh?" Efu was confused, at least until he remembered Haifu's words._

_"_Your hatred makes it stronger._"_

_He looked down, averting his gaze from his mother's. "..." He clenched his fists, feeling a sense of powerlessness coming over him. "I... You're right..." he murmured. "I... I just... I just want it to end... these Kaiju attacks... they're just... I hate them... I hate all the Grimm and want to destroy them... all because of what they did to you... and me..."_

_Sakura frowned as she folded her arms. "Well, Hayato, hatred only makes Grimm stronger. They can sense it and are drawn to it. No matter how hard we try, there is no way to eliminate hatred. But the amount of it can be decreased. And it all starts with one person choosing to look past differences to make it possible. And Hunters as well."_

_"But how can I expect to fight that Hydra without giving it a boost in power?!" Efu blurted, finally losing it. "I can't do anything! No matter what I try, I can't do anything! I'm a failure! A weakling! A coward!"_

_"Then why did you leap in to save your father?" Sakura asked._

_Efu paused, remembering that blast. "...Oh... Glob...!" he breathed, realization taking hold. "I...I'm...dead?!" He started to shake uncontrollably as he stared at his hands in terror and shock._

_The cat Faunus pursed her lips as she walked up to the shaking _Shinkalion_. Her hand clenched itself before she lashed out, a loud clap of flesh on metal echoing in the vast whiteness that surrounded the two. Efu's helm snapped to the right from the force of the hit and his hand flew to the spot, surprised at what she had done. "M-Mom?"_

_"Hayato. You listen to me right now, young man! You are _not_ dead under any circumstance!" Sakura scolded him. "Otherwise, if you _were_ dead, you'd be in our own body!"_

_Efu looked at his left hand and clenched it into a fist. "Well, yeah, but..."_

_"No buts. You are still alive, just unconscious," Sakura told him. "Now, answer me. Why did you leap in to save your father?"_

_Efu's gaze dropped to his feet. "I...I just... I wanted to save him... because he's the only parent I've got left... and I can't stand the thought of having my sister become an orphan... least of all get sent into foster care... Especially after everything he did to save me from Satyra..." he murmured._

_"Then, rather than use hatred to fight, use that resolve to protect those you care about," Sakura said._

_"But how can I?!" Efu cried as he looked up at her, his optics flaring as he said this. "I just hate all Grimm and want them destroyed!"_

_Here Sakura tittered as she shook her head. "Hayato... as a Huntress, I learned that hate is a powerful tool, but it is a double edged sword. While it provides motivation, it draws Grimm to you and those around you. So, in order to fight, you have to learn to control that hatred. In this case, you wish to save Hokuto from the Grimm, right? Then use that to your advantage, and turn your hatred towards that goal."_

_Efu looked down in despair. "Just...how can I become stronger?" he asked. "How can I become strong enough to be without a weakness?"_

_His mother shook her head. "Hayato... no one is perfect. Everyone has flaws. But to become perfect... that's not possible. And you of all people should know this, given the fact that each _shinkansen_ model is designed to be safer than the last model. Nothing is ever perfect, and it cannot be made reality. Otherwise, how would we learn and grow?" she explained. "You are not perfect. No one is. And that should be your strength, Hayato. Learn to grow and become a better man. Not a perfect warrior."_

_Efu was confused as he looked up._

_"Right now, you are seeking perfection to overcome your weakness. But no one can be without flaws. Those flaws exist for a reason, Hayato," the cat Faunus woman explained. "And to become stronger, one must learn to draw on those flaws, learn to better themselves in spite of those flaws, and learn from their failures. So keep this in mind, Hayato. Perfect isn't perfect. And imperfect isn't imperfect."_

_The green and white _Shinkalion_ was very confused when she finished speaking. What did she mean, by perfect wasn't perfect and imperfect wasn't imperfect?_

_She finally placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked into her eyes. A smile graced her face as she tilted her head a bit. "Hayato, I'm very proud of you... since you decided to fight to save the country. I don't want you to feel bad, or to be held back by that hatred. And I think it's time you truly learned why I decided to fight Mothra that day."_

_"...why?" Efu's voice was soft as she nodded._

_"Yes." She held up a hand and a couch appeared before the two. She gestured for Efu to take a seat beside her and he did so, slumping onto the fabric as he stared at her._

_"The reason why I chose to fight that day was simple: because I wanted to defend those I cared about," Sakura began. "Like all Hunters, I wanted to protect my home and take down the Grimm. But when Mothra attacked, it became clear that there was more going on. With the Kaiju Grimm attacking as often as they were, I began to see the pattern your father discerned in his studies of the attacks. So, I went out, not on the orders of the government, but of my own free will, to defend my family. Not the city, not the country or the world, but my _family._"_

_"..." Efu was stunned. So it hadn't been the government's fault after all...? The realization that she had died to save her family was a real blow to him, and he looked down at his hands nested in his lap. "... so I was wrong...?" he whispered. "About everything that day...?"_

_Here his mother placed a hand on his own. "You were wrong on who ordered me, yes, but you were right in that I had died for a reason. But not the reason you had thought. I died to save my family, nothing more. That's all I wanted to do when I became a Huntress," she explained. "Just so you kids could grow up to follow your own dreams, regardless of whether you became a Hunter or not."_

_Sakura's eyes shimmered with pride as she looked into his optics. "Just like you. You chose to take this form and defend, right? Then don't attack with hate. Defend with resolve. Fight to protect, Hayato. Do not let hatred consume you. Do not fight to avenge me. Fight to take back your future."_

_Efu shifted as he cast his gaze down at his lap. "I...I'll try..." he whispered. "But I dunno if I can..."_

_"As long as you try, that's all that matters," Sakura said gently. "Now I think your friends need you... and you need them..."_

* * *

**CENTRAL INTERCEPT SYSTEM BATTLESPACE**

* * *

The explosion died down, and the team gaped in shock at the cloud of smoke that filled the area.

"No..." Esebu whispered, his frame filled with shock. His grasp on his drill went slack, and it fell from his hand to the floor of the CIS field.

"Mr. Hayasugi!" Haifu screamed, her optics filled with terror.

Fumikiri's hand lashed out and grabbed onto her arm. "Wait! It's too dangerous!" he said. "There's intense radiation in that smoke! We don't know if our frames can handle that amount of it!"

"I don't care! Efu's in there, and we need to get him out in case he does something stupid!" Haifu protested, pulling her arm free from his grasp.

Esebu realized that she did have a point on Efu. His optics pulsed as he forced his shock from his processor and grabbed his drill, breaking into a run as his Aura covered his frame in mere seconds.

However, the last thing they expected was to see a sword fly out of the smoke, ramming itself into one of the Hydra's thick necks, not severing the head, but severing the spinal column to that particular head. Esebu skidded to a stop as the Hydra screeched in sheer agony, its bellow shaking the entire field and dispersing the smoke.

Much to their relief, the station's command bunker was still intact...

And so was Efu.

He hovered there, his wing emitters going, his right arm outstretched, indicating he had been the one to throw his sword. His optics pulsed as he landed on the ground before springing forward, the thrusters in his ankles boosting his jump.

The Hydra's remaining head whipped around, its red eyes pulsing as they made eye contact with Efu's optics...

Esebu tensed his frame, ready to attack Efu if this thing made him go on a rampage.

But the Hydra's gaze wasn't affecting him. At least not truly.

Efu's optics were not glowing a reddish orange, but a brilliant yellow like that of the sun. His Aura began to seethe around his frame as he lashed out his hand, clasping the hilt of his sword and pulling it out of the Hydra's thick neck before he spun his frame around, lashing out in a nasty roundhouse that snapped the neck of the head he had just attacked. The Hydra's head spun a total of 180 degrees, and those eyes went lifeless.

Efu sprang back, flipping and landing on the ground as he skidded, his sword held out to the side.

The other _Shinkalions_ looked at one another before they ran over to join Efu.

"About time you got your head in the game," Esebu joked.

"Whatever," Efu said. "Let's just get this thing taken care of! I just don't want to lose anyone else again! Least of all any more of my family!"

Esebu was surprised by his sudden resolve, but he smirked in his optics regardless. "Right."

The team stood facing the Hydra as it roared at them with its five remaining heads.

"_Esebu, it's Shashot,_" the AI said, catching his attention.

Esebu looked up, optics hard. "Esebu here. What is it?" he replied.

"_I have managed to finish conducting a scan of the Hydra based on the data that you have transmitted to my servers,_" Shashot reported. "_And I have managed to deduce that this particular Grimm possesses a core of sorts, right within its chest._"

"I had a feeling it may have had such a thing, but that only confirms it," Esebu remarked. "And I think I got an idea on how to take it down."

"_Then that I shall leave to you,_" Shashot said. "_I wish you the best of luck._"

Esebu nodded and the COMM went dead. He turned his gaze to the others. "Okay. I got an idea as to how we take this thing down," he explained, "but this particular Hydra has a power core located in its chest. So..."

"We expose the core, we can take it out," Matagi finished. He nodded. "I can see where this story is headed."

"The only question is...how do we expose this core?" Nozoma asked.

Esebu hefted his drill and spun it up. "My Wheelset Kori Driver." He lowered his drill. "The Kaiju's thick scales are good for deflecting normal rounds and other Dust weapons. But it is vulnerable to ice Dust, I noticed. So my drill, since it is equipped with ice Dust, can be used to breach those scales."

"And what about the other heads?" Fumikiri asked. "We have to take them out at the same time, do we not?"

"Not necessarily," Esebu said, looking at the one Efu had just eliminated. "Hydras can regenerate their heads if they are _severed_. Not if they are like that one is." He pointed with his drill to the deceased Hydra head, and Haifu's optics pulsed once in realization.

"Now I get it!" she said. "We snap their necks..."

"Then they can't regenerate!" Matagi breathed.

Esebu smirked as he nodded. "Yes. So, Matagi, you'll go in with Fumikiri and Haifu to distract the blinded heads while Nozoma finishes them off by snapping their necks. Then once its heads are deceased, save for one, I'll go in and expose the core. Then, Efu, you'll be the one to finish it."

Efu nodded. "_Hai._"

The team turned back to face the Hydra as it roared at them, its remaining head flashing those red eyes in hatred at them.

Then both sides attacked as one.

The Hydra opened its remaining mouths and fired off several balls of radioactive fire, forcing the team to dodge to the sides. Two of the balls exploded against the energy shield, making it waver dangerously before it stabilized. The other three exploded against the blast doors separating the bunker section from the rest of the outside world. A few cracks were visible in the barricades, but they remained stable and intact. Esebu knew, however, that if cracks were hit repeatedly on even the strongest of structures, they'd break. So the key here was to keep the blast doors intact, as well as to keep the Grimm from firing any more of those fireballs their way. He looked to the four _Shinkalions_ as they made their way towards the Hydra's heads.

Matagi's guns spun through the air as he attached them to his shoulder guards in their cannon configuration. He landed on his feet and aimed them at the nearest head, his Aura seething red around his frame. His optics pulsed as he pulled down his _Namahage_ Goggles over them. The green optics flashed as they came online, allowing him to see things in greater detail. The targeting reticle danced across his vision as he targeted the head's eyeballs a second time. Not that it really mattered, since he was only providing a distraction for the real attack. Still, he channeled his Aura into his guns, the red Aura swirling into the barrels, becoming a pair of brilliantly blazing red suns. His normal tri-colored Aura remained around his frame, shielding him from the blast to come. Matagi braced his legs and shoulders for the attack. "**_FUMIKIRI BARRAGE!_**"

His twin cannons roared, sending their red hot fury right for the Hydra's heads. The one he was attacking turned at the sound of the blast, and it roared, opening its mouth to fire off a green fireball right for the incoming beams...

Only for Nozoma to spring up from behind, his thrusters purring loudly. He let out a battle cry as his left foot whipped out in a devastating roundhouse, slamming into the Hydra's cheek and breaking the neck of this second head with a nasty sounding _crack!_ of bone breaking. Nozoma flipped back off the deceased head as the twin beams sailed past it, striking the wall of the CIS. He landed on the ground and looked over to where Fumikiri was perched on the wall, one hand holding onto his shuriken. Seeing that Nozoma had taken out one head, he sprang off the wall, his optics glowing as he held out his hands before twisting his frame for the throw.

The blades began to seethe with wind Dust as he gripped them tightly. "Hah!" He tensed his frame before he threw his shuriken, the wind beginning to form a sort of vacuum around them. "_Fumikiri Kaze Shuriken!_"

The shuriken spun towards the Hydra's heads, and one of them moved into position as if expecting the blades to sever its neck and allow it to regenerate. But Nozoma was on the move before that even happened. He sprang off the ground, one hand clenched into a fist. A loud roar escaped his chest as he drove his fist right into the side of its head, snapping its neck with one well placed blow. The eyes went dark and its jaw fell open, allowing the shuriken to fly right past it, embedding itself into the wall of the CIS.

Nozoma landed on the ground a second time and turned to watch as Haifu sprang into action. Her wing emitters hummed loudly as she darted at the Hydra, her sword held out to the side in one hand. A short cry escaped her as she swung her blade, gashing the Hydra on its mouth on that particular head. It roared and opened up its mouth to finish her off with a point blank fireball, but she saw this and, reacting with incredible grace and agility, she placed both feet on its neck and sprang off, her blade flying out to strike it on the jaw, severing its lower jaw clean off. The Hydra's screech could be heard even within the depths of the SDI Headquarters, making everyone there wince. But Haifu wasn't done. Her frame was tensed as she whipped a foot out, boosted by the thrusters in her ankle, and kicked the Hydra's head in the neck, snapping it with a loud crack of bone.

The white _Shinkalion_ took advantage of that and sprang off the ground, his thrusters roaring in his audios. Nozoma's optics pulsed as he clenched his fists, summoning his blades. He didn't even say a word as he thrust them forward, but the Hydra anticipated his move and moved its remaining head aside. He glanced back and hissed through his vents before he spotted Fumikiri waving one hand. He glanced in his direction, and saw that the ninja _Shinkalion_ had rigged up his grappling lines to allow him to spring off them. He nodded once before he twisted his frame around and, with a boost from his thrusters, darted right for the parallel lines. His feet pressed into them and he felt the cables tightening before he sprang off them, using them to boost his speed. Nozoma's energy blades hummed eagerly as he drew back a fist. But he was not intent on severing its head. No. He had a different idea in mind. Nozoma twisted his frame around at the last second, and thrust his right leg out in a thrust kick, his blades vanishing back into his wrists. His foot made direct contact with its neck joint, and the head was cut off of the spine without being severed. The eyes went dark and it fell back limply.

Esebu noticed that and nodded.

"Good work, everyone!" he exclaimed.

He revved his treads and darted right for the Hydra, his Wheelset Drill held in his grasp. The blue and white _Shinkalion_ pressed the trigger three times and it activated, the ice Dust dispensers opening on the sides as he revved it up to maximum output. That familiar blue Aura began to seethe over his frame, concentrating into his drill as it began to glow a brilliant icy blue, a start contrast to Matagi's fiery red cannon blasts. He could already feel the icy cold beginning to seep into his frame as he gripped his drill tightly in his hand. "RAAAAAAAAH!"

Esebu thrust his drill forward as the Hydra opened its remaining mouth and fired off a blast of radioactive fire at him. The Aura, combined with the Dust streaming from his drill, froze the fireball solid, shattering it. The Hydra seemed to gape in terror as Esebu crouched and sprang off the ground, a loud battle cry escaping his vocalizer. "RAAAAAAAAAAH! **_WHEELSET JORI DRIVER!_**"

He jammed his drill right into the center of the Hydra's chest.

And the Hydra screeched in agony as it threw its head back. Esebu could already see the ice beginning to cover its chest, turning those scales an icy clear color... and he saw it.

Pulsing red, surrounded by the Dark Substance, was that core.

"Found it!" he remarked.

He pushed his drill in further, shattering the scales and exposing the Hydra's core for Efu to see.

"Take it out!" Esebu screamed to him.

Efu looked down at his sword, remembering his mother's words.

"_Don't attack with hate. Defend with resolve._"

All he wanted to do was save his father... save his only family left. And he couldn't do that if he hated everything about the Grimm. Some things just couldn't be changed. Grimm numbers were one thing. As well as the Dark Pools. But what _could_ be changed was the chances people had at survival. That was why his father had done this project to begin with.

As well as ensure that others were safe from the same fate that befell his mother.

Memories of her filled his mind's eye, and Efu clenched his fists. He couldn't just charge in there, lest that thing try to draw out his hatred. He needed to go long range... long range... like Matagi. Just like a cannon.

A burning resolve began to fill his chest, and Efu also swore he felt a pressure there, like something was yearning for release. He didn't even bother to question where it was coming from. Just that it needed to be let out. He yearned for that pressure to be released, to take whatever form it desired to wipe this Grimm out... to save his family and friends.

Something on his chest slid open and Efu glanced down in shock at seeing a brilliant green ball of light, seeming to be fueled by his Aura, which was now glowing a brilliant green color. He realized what this was, and he clenched his fists, channeling as much power as he could into this new attack. Energy readous flashed in his vision, but he ignored them for trying to divert as much power as he could muster into this attack. The Hydra looked at Efu, and then its eyes flashed, but Efu was not looking at it. In fact, the light from his chest cannon was proving to be the perfect counter since it was bright enough to render its eyes a dull grey color.

He didn't even waste another second. He drew back his arms and then let his new attack fly. "ALL RIGHT, YA DAMN GRIMM! TAKE THIS! **_GRAN CROSS!_**"

Efu felt an unexplainable feeling as the pressure was finally released in the form of a blazing green beam of light, slamming directly into the core of the Hydra, and penetrating right through to the other side of it. Grimm ooze and smoke poured out of the wound as the Hydra screeched one last time before it collapsed to the ground, its body becoming pure smoke.

The green and white _Shinkalion_ landed on the floor of the CIS, panting heavily before he collapsed to his chest, his vision blurring. All he could see were his friends running to his side before he passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

Esebu stared in shock at the blast of green energy striking the Hydra's core.

He had _not_ expected Efu to be able to put out such power! Least of all from a cannon hidden in his chest!

The Hydra didn't even stand a chance. The blast of energy penetrated right through its chest, incinerating the core and burning through out the back. The beam struck the wall of the CIS, leaving a very noticeable scorch mark on the metallic surface. The Hydra let out one last screech before it collapsed, thick smoke and that black ooze dripping from its wound.

Esebu watched in wariness as the body twitched once, then became still as it started to dissipate into that black smoke. Efu landed on the floor of the CIS, panting heavily before his limbs gave out and he collapsed onto his chest, his optics fading to an offline state.

"EFU!"

Matagi was the first one to run towards the downed _Shinkalion_. His metal feet pounded the blast doors as he drew close, and the others broke into a run, joining him. Nozoma, however, stayed behind, eyeing him critically. Esebu shot the white _Shinkalion_ a glare before he ran to join the others.

Esebu knelt down beside Efu and turned him over onto his back carefully. His lead lolled to the side, a clear sign he was unconscious. Or had his soul been ejected back to his human body after that attack?

For what seemed to be a long while, in reality just mere seconds, Efu lay still, not even twitching a finger. It seemed like he had been ejected... only for a soft groan to come from his vocalizer as his optics slowly came back online.

Esebu let out a small laugh as he scooped up the other _Shinkalion_, holding him close in a hug. "Man... That was insane!" he blurted. "I had no idea you packed that much power!"

"I... I don't..." Efu groaned. "I...I can barely move right now, I'm so tired..."

"Well, whatever the case, that Hydra's taken care of," Fumikiri remarked as he knelt down. "And I have to admit, that did really expose a major weakness of yours."

Efu looked away, nodding. "Yeah... I think...I need to speak with my dad..."

Haifu placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling in her optics. "We'll take you back, Efu. Just take it easy for now. Think you have the strength to change back?"

The green and white _Shinkalion_ nodded. "I think so," he rasped. "But I won't be able to move..."

"We'll tow you," Matagi told him. "Or rather, I will. You just rest. We'll handle the rest."

Efu chuckled weakly as he was helped to the nearest track for the trip back to the station. "Yeah... Thanks, guys."

* * *

**DARKLANDS**

**SAMMAEL'S CASTLE**

* * *

Sammael's red eyes narrowed as he observed the aftermath.

Those mecha were really proving to be troublesome. But it had exposed a fatal flaw to the Hydra. While its heads could regenerate, that only happened in the event they were _severed_, not broken at the neck.

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U., however, was silent as he observed this. "It seems that a weakness was uncovered," he mused. "And that gives me an idea for a future version of the Hydra."

"Oh? Already planning on a Hydra 2.0, so to speak?" Sammael asked with a wry smirk.

The Gundam/Fallen nodded. "Yes. And this one will not have the same flaw."

The red-haired Fallen chuckled. "Perhaps I can offer some suggestions, if you wish."

But the Devil Gundam shook his helm. "No. I prefer to work on this one myself, Sammael. If you don't mind."

"Of course," Sammael said, folding his arms as he gazed at the screen. "But now, I have a feeling an old friend of mine is about to make his move... and soon..." His smirk changed into a sneer as he eyed the city skyline on the monitor. "So, I hope you are ready for a front row seat... to the greatest show on Earth..." he purred.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**DIRECTOR'S OFFICE**

* * *

"So you want to quit?" Hokuto asked as he eyed his son seriously.

Hayato nodded as he sat in the seat before his father's desk.

"Yes. Not just because of what happened, but because of the fact that I have a major weakness that nearly killed my friends..." he murmured, fiddling his fingers together.

Hokuto pursed his lips as he tented his fingers. He pondered on what to do. He knew his son had potential and he was safe from Satyra, but in order to remain bonded to the E5, he had to use it and fight in order to be safe. So it was not a choice in the matter right now... at least until the second stage was implemented. In the end, he decided to try a new tack on the issue.

He leaned forward a bit. "Hayato... I know you're concerned about your friends' safety with you on the team, but let me tell you something. You admitting you have a major weakness right now is not a mark of someone weak, like you may feel."

"Huh?" Hayato looked up, his cat ears pricking up. "W-What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Hayato, is that to admit a weakness exists is a step towards learning to master it, and becoming a better person. It means that you can better yourself and learn to master that weakness. It's not as simple as saying 'oh, I have a weakness, and I can overcome it.' No. It takes time, strength, and resolve to master it. But note that I'm only saying 'mastering' it. Not overcoming it."

"Mastering... my weakness...?" Hayato blinked.

Hokuto nodded as he stood up and walked over to kneel down by his son. "Yes. See, everyone in this world has flaws and weaknesses that they have to learn to master in order to be a better person. Like me. I have several weaknesses that I have had to master. I can't just overcome them to make them go away," he explained. "It's just not possible to overcome one's own weaknesses. You can only master it. My weaknesses I have had to master, so they are still present. But they just aren't visible or pronounced anymore."

Hayato looked down at his hands nested in his lap. "..."

The director placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Hayato..."

The boy looked up. "..."

Hokuto smiled fondly at him. "Everything in this world has flaws and weaknesses. Nothing can be truly flawless. The flaws of everything are what enable those things to become better and stronger," he continued. "Like the _shinkansen._ It too has its flaws and weaknesses, as well as challenges that need to be surmounted. If we don't try to improve ourselves, like with the _shinkansen_, then our new selves won't be as prepared to deal with what life throws our way. Each _shinkansen_ model improves upon the older, becoming better and more efficient. And in the case of us living beings, our 'newer models', or our experiences, shape our own efficiency in dealing with life itself. So, to truly be flawless and invincible, is completely impossible. Nothing is perfect, son. And that is something you learned today. You, in spite of your flaws, have grown a little in this regard."

"I...I have?" Hayato asked, sniffling a little as tears started to come to his eyes.

Hokuto nodded. "Yes. And that shows you have become a little stronger."

Hayato finally couldn't keep it in. He broke down crying.

The older cat Faunus embraced his son, and the boy returned the hug, sobbing into his father's shirt. "Just remember to learn from this, Hayato. No one can be flawless and invincible. We all have to learn things to become stronger. And you have."

"I...I promise... I won't let my hatred control me again!" Hayato sobbed. "I...I'm so... sorry!" His voice was cut off as he finally wailed, Hokuto holding him close and whispering comfortingly to him in his ear.

Yes, he figured. He had learned his lesson that day.

And he would take it to heart.

No matter what.


	25. ROBOTNIK

Sammael studied the scene as he observed via an undetected Seer Grimm.

He could already see the huge bipedal form of his friend's newest machine, and it was starting to get closer to the location of his target.

"_It seems your_ old friend_ is making his move,_" Moloch purred from beside Sammael.

The Fallen didn't even bat an eye as he looked at where the Beast lurked. "Yes."

"_Speaking of which, I seem to have had a change of mind in regards to those... Shinkalions or whatever they are called,_" Moloch stated. "_After seeing how that one with the chest cannon reacted, well... I would like to see what other things we can do to try and break them._" He licked his lips, unseen. "_His hatred was succulent..._"

Sammael smirked. "I see. So you too wish to become involved in the creation of new Kaiju?" he asked.

Moloch snorted. "_Hardly!_" he growled. "_However... if I may, I wish to take a stab at attacking them... or barring that, using an old legend to draw them out..._"

His red eyes flashed as he directed Sammael's gaze to the looming presence of Aokigahara Forest. Sammael knew of this place, as it was a feeding ground for despair and hopelessness in Japan. His eyes narrowed as he pondered what Moloch was implying. "I do see the reasoning for wanting to use the forest, but what..." His voice trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the way the Beast of Darkness sneered, and then he realized what Moloch was intending.

"Oh... I see..." he purred. His lips curled upward into a sneer of his own. "I see... The y_ūrei..._" His eyes flashed. "I get your intentions, Moloch. Well, your powers, when connected with the spirits of the deceased... that would be an interesting sight..."

Moloch chuckled darkly. "_Perhaps later?_" he asked.

Sammael sneered. "Even better. I shall grant you a Grimm to assist... to draw them into the forest... and then you can have your fun..." Then he grew serious. "But it will take time. So for now, just relax..." He conjured up a box of popcorn with a wave of the hand. "And enjoy the show."

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: IVANOV "IVO" ROBOTNIK_**

_Ivanov "Ivo" Robotnik is a well-known genius, excelling in all things robotic and being the pioneer for numerous technologies that the civilian and military industries have taken to using. He is known for being incredibly smart, but he has also harbored ambitions for global rule more often than not, making him an ally of last resort. His skills in piloting and building mecha are unmatched, at least by normal standards. Rumors have been swirling of his recent involvement with Project YoRHa, but none have been able to confirm it. He has made numerous enemies, some of which are among the top Hunters in the world, including Seph and Dracon. Other rumors swirling have included him being the arch-nemesis of a blue hedgehog whose speed matches that of Living Bullet._

_His connections to the League of Super Criminals, and therefore Sammael, have also spawned rumors that he could have his own Aura and Semblance. But nothing of that nature has been documented thus far._

_Intelligence has confirmed that he has a nephew named Snively, and he has been in an alliance with Hector con Carne for some time now._

_No further data available. _

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to heroes, there is always someone who seeks to become an archenemy. Or they inadvertently create such an individual. At least, that's how it usually goes," Izumi said as he tented his fingers. He leaned forward at his desk and his eyes flickered. "In some cases, heroes can be created by villains, such as here in Japan. The villains are the Kaiju, and the heroes are Team Shinkalion."

He unfolded his hands and tapped a screen, bringing up an image of the Faceless Ones as they fought against a few Grimm. "But in some cases, like with these unknown entities, their motives can really be secretive and that can breed conspiracy theories. But what if they have a good reason to remain hidden?" He leaned back in his seat, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Because if they have something big to hide, something world changing, then they have every reason to remain hidden. The Faceless Ones may be an enigma, but their actions have helped curtail Grimm attacks, and have kept the Fallen from getting the Elementals. So, are they really villains, like some say, or are they heroes? Or maybe they aren't heroes, but just a group of beings seeking to do the right thing. It's up to you to decide that one."

* * *

**CHAPTER XXIV - ROBOTNIK**

"..._see the attack is proceeding as planned, then,_" a female voice purred from within the speakers of a sophisticated laptop.

"Of course. I was not about to let this slide," the owner of the laptop purred as he leaned in, his eyes glinting behind his blue lensed goggles. "I was far more interested in my master plan, but this time... well, I guess could assist an old friend."

The man sat back in his seat, his large bulk proving to be an imposing factor. Dr. Ivanov "Ivo" Robotnik was a very imposing presence in the middle of a group, considering his height stood at an impressive seven foot two. It also was aided by his huge build, primarily in his lower region, giving him his infamous nickname of Eggman. But he didn't let that stop him from being a menace and even a serious threat in the long term, due to his sheer brilliance.

The scientist tented his fingers as he eyed the woman on the screen. "And I will admit, this is a good opportunity to see just what Japan's latest project is..." he mused, a sneer crossing his face. "As I'm sure you are aware of?"

"_Believe me, Ivanov, I have been in contact with some of our agents there. They have all reported the same thing. So, if you care to find out, well, it would be in both our interests to learn what it is, yes?_" Her eyes glinted as she ran a hand through her black and white hair, her blue eyes taking on a sinister intent.

Dr. Robotnik didn't even shudder as he finally smiled. "Yes. I will be sure to inform you the first chance I get, Ms. De Ville."

The woman nodded and gave a quick kiss before the screen went blank.

The robotics expert scowled as he tapped the top of his desk with a finger.

He didn't even need to turn as the door hissed open. He knew it was his nephew from the sound of his footsteps alone.

"Uncle."

"What is it, Snivley?" he asked.

The young man scowled. "Is it even really necessary to work with those freaks?" he asked. His voice held a tone of disgust and he could tell his nephew was unhappy about this alliance. "I mean, I have no ill will towards the Faunus or Mobians, but..."

Robotnik knew exactly what he meant by that. While the Faunus and Mobians were only vying for their rights, they refused to accept anything less than pure supremacy and violence, a trait that was bound to only make things worse in the long term if something drastic wasn't done. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he rumbled thoughtfully. "I can understand where you are coming from, nephew," he said seriously. "But, here is a small lesson. When dealing with people that are of greater strength, sometimes it means you must work with others, even if you dislike them, in order to further your own ambitions, or for the greater good. I am in disgust at their methodology, too."

Snivley frowned as his uncle turned to face him directly.

His goggles gleamed as he sneered, making a shiver run down the youth's spine. His voice took on a sinister tone as he sneered, the effect making the boy shiver against his will. " But rest assured, Snively, the debt that Satyra owes us will be paid in full with their blood in due time."

The mere thought of those supremacists getting their just desserts made a dark sneer slither across his face. But, a thought crossed his mind as his sneer faded. "As much as I enjoy hearing that, you know that _he_ won't be happy if we try anything that could jeopardize the alliance or the plans. Remember?"

Robotnik waved a hand as he snorted dismissively. He pressed a button on his desk and several screens came up, some of them showing past news footage and attacks. Snivley's eyes landed on the scene of the gorilla Faunus attacking Tokyo Tower, only to be driven back by a blue and white robot with a drill. Then he turned to look at the fight between what appeared to be a dragon Mobian or Faunus with orange wings and a bull Faunus with a spiked club. Robotnik gazed at the news images and articles as he sat back in his seat, tenting his fingers together in front of his mouth. "And we won't, nor will we have to. Because make no mistake while Satyra is allied with _him_ and the League of Super Criminals for now for their own agenda, eventually their goals will conflict with ours and this little alliance will come to a end."

His gaze landed on the gorilla and robot clashing. His lip curled upward in disgust. "And that's if those hypocrite animals don't try to pull a double cross beforehand which I wouldn't put past them."

Snively arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms in amusement. "Animals? Sir ,I thought with the exception of a certain blue pain in the neck you were above such petty racism."

The older scientist nodded. He stood up and made his way to his nephew's side. He knelt and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am, Snively, but we both know in the case of Satyra it describes them perfectly. They're nothing more than rabid animals." Robotnik grinned evilly as he looked into Snively's eyes. "And we know there's only one way to deal with a rabid animal."

The youth knew what his uncle meant. "Putting them down," he said.

Robotnik laughed as he spun around to face the exit. As he left, he had one last thing to say. "Precisely, Sinvely! Precisely!"

The door hissed shut behind him and Snively was left alone in the room. He looked back at the news feed, before his gaze landed on the destruction of a certain carrier that had been the product of a joint effort all those years ago. His eyes hardened, and his voice became forlorn as he sniffled a little. "I promised you that I would make all those who played a part in what happen to you pay dearly, and rest assured no matter how long it takes or whoever stands in my way... that's a promise I intend to keep... Hoags..." he muttered.

He turned and exited the room himself, the door hissing shut behind him. The images continued to play, including the news footage of that joint carrier project's destruction.

The very same one that had taken the life of Hoagie Gilligan's father.

* * *

Within the main bridge of his airship, Robotnik watched as his robotic army began to march throughout the city, targeting key strongpoints, but not to destroy.

Oh, no. He was intent on learning their weaknesses so he could make his own move soon.

And one of his targets was a major player in the Dust business. While Robotnik himself was a shrewd man, his business acumen left something to be desired. Yet he knew that Sanban Industries had a lot of clout, and to steal from them was a feat very few - hell, no one - had been able to accomplish. And right now, he was after a particular kind of Dust that was undergoing testing. This type was also considered illegal, given its rarity and composition and ability to absorb energy of whatever was thrown at it.

Black Dust, they called it.

And it was perfect for his plans.

Especially concerning that blue pain called Sonic. If he had some of that, he could drain Sonic's power and render him helpless.

A sneer crossed his face.

Yes. This would work out after all...

* * *

**PALACE HOTEL**

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

* * *

"_... and so it ends with a victory! That was the _least_ expected move pulled by-_"

The TV's audio was lowered considerably as a remote was tossed aside, a grunt coming from the occupant of the hotel room.

Dracon snorted through his vents as he shifted on the bed. "Sometimes I just don't get why some people televise local tourneys," he muttered as he reached for a nearby book.

He pulled it off the nightstand and opened it, skimming through the contents before he found the page he had left off on. He leaned back until he was propped up on the pillows, one leg crossed over the other, his foot moving a bit.

The Gundam had to admit, being in Japan for this long was something he hadn't considered, and actually, despite having to fight a few Grimm, he hadn't had much else to do except explore, learn how to make a few new dishes, and just do more stuff like a tourist. He had to admit, it was actually nice to just kick back and have a real vacation once in a while. In fact, this was the longest time he had taken off since his conversion from human to Gundam!

Dracon looked out the window, his optics watching as a flock of birds flew past the window of the Palace Hotel room he was staying in. He had to admit, it was a lucky break he had even managed to get a room here in this place. It also helped it was located close to the station so he could see just what was happening there. Especially since those... _Shinkalions_, were they called?... started really cracking down on the Kaiju Grimm that had been surfacing for the last several months. He still recalled that Misertree, or whatever it had been, and the way it had seemed to feast on the leader's misery. The idea of such a Grimm made his plating crawl and he shuddered a bit. But the fact that he had even had to get involved was something he hadn't expected. Or actually he had, but still, he was supposed to be on vacation, not fighting Grimm!

A chuckle escaped him as he finally started to read. He drifted from the world of reality into the future and the adventures of a small squad of heroes as they fought to save the world from a supervillain and to prevent him from reawakening the Grimm from the Pool of Darkness. He was right there, watching them as they fought, offering encouragement and assisting them when they needed it.

Dracon didn't know what happened next, except that he had apparently dozed off sometime into the middle of the book.

What was unexpected was that the TV's speakers were, despite having been lowered, blaring out a warning.

The Gundam jerked awake, his optics coming online as he was startled out of his slumber. The book had fallen open on his chest, so he grabbed it and pulled it off, closing the book before placing it on the nightstand. He sat up, his optics locking onto the screen as the images played out before him.

He could see numerous soldiers of the Self Defense Forces mobilizing, along with several other Hunters who had been in the area, to defend one of the many buildings in Tokyo. His optics narrowed as he studied it critically. Where had he seen it before...?

As soon as he saw the Japanese kanji positioned on the building, his processor kicked into overdrive. He jolted before he snatched the remote and turned up the TV.

"_...unsure as to when the attack will happen, but the Self Defense Forces, as well as several local Hunters, have mobilized to secure the Sanban Industries headquarters and prevent any further attacks. As to whom the attacker is, there is rife speculation amongst the higher echelons of the government that it is the feared, and notorious, Ivanov "Ivo" Robotnik. While he has attacked numerous facilities in the past, this is the first time he has overtly targeted a major Dust manufacturing corporation like Sanban Industries,_" the news anchor said as she looked directly at the camera. Her eagle eyes narrowed as she continued. "_All civilians are to remain away from the battlefield due to the danger of possible collateral damage to-_"

A loud explosion rocked the area on screen and Dracon was on his feet in a flash. He tossed the remote aside after shutting off the TV, bolting for the balcony door and throwing on his cloak. "For the love of... Can't I get a decent vacation in?!" he groaned before he snatched his shield and beam magnum from where he had placed them against the wall.

Dracon ran out onto the balcony before he shut the door and sprang off the balcony railing, kicking on his flight pack and spreading his wings to full length.

The Gundam sped through the air, his cloak whipping around his frame as he spotted the smoke starting to curl skyward from the fight. "Shit...! It's begun!" he muttered.

His thrusters flared and he angled his trajectory for the site of the smoke. His communications system could already pick up chatter on the major radio bands and frequencies as he flew, and he clenched his fists. He could already see some forces of the SDF approaching the site of battle. But the only question was, what was Robotnik using to attack Sanban Industries? He knew the guy was an incredibly skilled robotics engineer, and he was also quite a skilled programmer. But what kind of robots had he built for the attack?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his radar blaring in his head and he shot his gaze down to see a flash of sorts from a nearby intersection. His optics widened as he saw it was a missile, an anti-air missile, to be exact! The Gundam flared his wings and launched off his fin funnels, firing them to take down the missile. The pinkish beams intercepted it and broke through it, causing the missile to explode in midair. Dracon's gaze landed on a robot that looked to have treads on its lower torso and its upper body resembled a humanoid chassis, but on its back was a missile launcher. He growled as he dove down, dispersing his fin funnels and reattaching them to his wings. He hefted his beam magnum and aimed it at the robot.

The Gundam pulled the trigger a moment later, the reddish-blue colored beam lancing out and striking the robot on the side of its chassis, severing one of the treads and making it go out of control as it struggled to gain control of itself. But it collided with a nearby building, crashing through and making all civilians within scatter to higher ground. Dracon winced to himself in his thoughts. Yeah. That had _not_ been a good idea. He holstered his beam magnum on his back and launched his fin funnels once more. He decided it was best to go for accuracy and precision over brute force right now.

Dracon flashed past a few pedestrians as they were escorted by several soldiers towards the closest shelter entrance and he nodded his approval.

At least they took attacks like this seriously, given the Kaiju Grimm left colossal amounts of damage behind during their own attacks.

That was something he felt a few other cities in the world could learn from, especially cities in Indonesia. But he brushed that aside as he aimed his fin funnels at another group of robots as they marched down the city streets.

That was as far as they went.

Dracon let loose with all eight fin funnels, sending pinkish beams streaking through their cores and bodies, causing them to explode. The robots' parts were sent flying every which way from the explosions, and Dracon was forced to use his shield to deflect a few components, such as an arm and hand that flew his way. The Gundam lowered his shield and directed his fin funnels to come back towards him. He pivoted in midair, flaring his wings before he dashed towards the location of the burning smoke.

His optics narrowed as he zoomed in on the direction it was coming from, and he was surprised to see aerial robots that looked like primitive helicopters flitting and flying around the area, firing what looked like old retro laser pistols at one building in particular. Dracon's optics narrowed as he shifted his gaze towards the building... and the kanji stood out as clear as day to him. A low growl came from his vocalizer as he pushed his thrusters to their limit. All eight of them.

He became a dark colored comet, his pseudo-Aura flaring into existence as he drew upon the power of his psychoframe to boost his reflexes, speed, and strength. He reattached his fin funnels to his wings and his beam tonfas flipped forward, igniting as the energy swirled across them, turning them a brilliant green color. A loud cry escaped him as he charged into the fray, cutting through a pair of those robotic helicopters with a quick flash of his blades. Their rotors were severed and they plummeted to the ground below.

He turned around, his pseudo-Aura seething like flames around his frame and cloak, making it seem as if he were aflame. His optics pulsed as they shifted from violet to a burning emerald green color. "Okay... time to go all out!" he muttered. He sped up into the air before he paused, wings flared open, cloak billowing out behind him in an intimidating fashion.

However, as soon as he did, his optics widened and he gulped.

"Oh... crap..."

Behind him hovered dozens of those robotic helicopters. Below those were numerous other robots, all armed to the teeth with guns, missiles, and lasers. One of them aimed its guns at him, and the others all followed suit.

"Crap!" Dracon deployed his fin funnels over the widest possible range, and with a mental command, erected his beam shield. The beams intersected, coming together into a powerful octagonal shaped barrier. He held out his hand as he channeled as much power as he could into the beam generators. The beam energy barrier solidified, just in time as the guns fired, striking it and forcing the Dragon of Denver back. His wings arched as he flared all eight of his thrusters to full burn. He grunted as he put more power to his thrusters, trying to keep in place as the robots attacked. Behind him he could hear soldiers and civilians in the area letting out exclamations as they pointed up at him, surprised to see one of the world's strongest Hunters in Tokyo. But that was ignored as he was focused on the enemy before him.

Only for a slew of explosive feathers to strike a cluster of those helicopter drones, causing them to explode. Dracon's optics snapped up to look at an incoming object, and he zoomed his vision in to see that it was that wanderer, Seph. His wings were flared open, and he sped into the battlespace, summoning another salvo of those feathers as he sped by, giving a strange look to Dracon, who brushed it aside. He pivoted in midair as the Gem hybrid came to a hover, eyeing him. "Surprised you're not going all out, given your reputation," Seph stated.

"I can't with all these civilians about!" Dracon retorted as he dispersed his fin funnels, calling them back to his side as the barrier went down. He spun around and directed them to attack the drones while he aimed his missile launchers and let loose with a pair of missiles. The missiles homed in on some of the chopper drones as they flew towards the tall building of Sanban Industries. The two missiles exploded upon striking some, and the rest of the swarm turned to face the duo. Seph's wings arched as Dracon's hand flew for his beam magnum. "But... it seems I have no choice now," he muttered.

Seph grinned. "About time, too. Now, show me just why you're known as the Dragon of Denver, hm?"

The Gundam didn't even have an answer. He just flared his optics and charged at the closest robot, his beam magnum barking its fury as he let loose. The cloaked mecha weaved and danced with apparent grace in the air, like he had been born a Gundam, and not a human transferred to a robotic frame. His experience was clearly evident in how he used his frame's flgiht capabilities to dodge attacks that most others would have failed to dodge. But that was the furthest thing from Dracon'smind as he fired his gun a few more times before he had to eject the spent clip and slam home a new one. He holstered his gun and aimed his right arm at the group of robots he had been firing at. Several of them had been shot down, and a few others had damage from his beam magnum's shots. His beam burst gun swung into position to rest above his right hand, and with a mental command, he charged it and fired a charged shot right for the robots that remained.

The beam split into six shots, each one streaking towards a robot. Dracon's beam burst gun, Seph knew, had a tendency to spread out the shots, so there was no set pattern to the impacts. This time, he managed to get lucky as his shots all struck the remaining robots and caused them to collapse out of the air or explode into pieces.

Dracon pivoted as he watched several squads of soldiers approach the barricades they had erected in front of the building, and they aimed their guns at the incoming ground attack robots. Several of them had also managed to find a few bazookas for anti-tank use. In this case, Dracon noted, it was fitting, seeing as how some of those robots were like tanks in a sense. He returned his attention to the aerial battle, noticing that Seph was dealing with a number of the choppers. His eyes flashed as he looked back over his shoulder and thrust out a hand, a blast of telekinetic power forcing a few of them off course.

The Gundam wasn't too surprised, seeing as how he had read up on the man and his own exploits after the Misertree attack some time back. He just narrowed his optics before he directed his own attention to the fight at hand. The smaller helicopter drones had been eliminated, but it was the bigger helicopter drones that were giving them a hard time. At least initially.

Dracon was a formidable aerial combatant, too, as the Battle of Denver had shown.

He directed his fin funnels to come back to his side and he waited until Seph blasted past his location, his own wings flashing in a bright blaze of silver. The drones followed, humming as their processors locked onto the two fliers.

Dracon took action, dashing after the closest drones and firing off his fin funnels' beam weapons. They streaked through the air, missing some drones and hitting others in the engines or wings, causing them to either explode or fall from the air to the ground below. Soldiers below were opening fire on the ground attack bots, either disabling them or rendering their weapons useless. A few streaks of smoke and flashes of light from the bazookas alerted Dracon as to the presence of the tank bots below, and he was forced to divert several of his fin funnels down to assist the soldiers.

However, he needn't have worried, for a blast of blue light alerted him to a newcomer, and it was not Seph.

The Gundam turned and was surprised to see the man clad in that white armor... Wait...

His optics narrowed as he picked out a strange symbol on the man's armor... A symbol like that of... '_A Digimon!_' Dracon thought as realization surged in his processor. '_There are other Digimon here, this one being the Warrior of Light, if what Agunimon told me is accurate!_'

If the Warrior of Light, Lobomon, was present, then it was safe to say that they had a fighting chance now.

But if only it were that simple...

* * *

**ROBOTNIK'S AIRSHIP**

* * *

"Hmm... So, it seems the heavy hitters have shown up... Interesting..." Robotnik purred.

He cackled a bit as he tapped his fingers together. "Perhaps it's time I introduce them to my latest invention..." He sneered. "Don't you agree, Snivley?"

His nephew was silent, but then he nodded. "Yes, sir," he said rather quietly.

Robotnik stood up and turned to look at the boy. "Keep an eye on things, Snivley. And make sure that our... allies... do not get wind of this. The less they know, the better."

Snivley nodded as he watched his uncle leave the airship's bridge.

As he left, Robotnik's keen intellect was already coming up with battle plans and scenarios, also planning for when he needed to update his robots. He wasn't too keen on having them destroyed, but then again, when he had as many resources as he did, it made sense that destruction of his machines inevitably happened. After all, even the best machines had their flaws. And Dracon was no exception. His hidden eyes gleamed as he made his way down to the hangar, where his latest invention had been stored.

A sneer crossed his face as he stopped just before its feet, and it only grew as he looked up at the massive war machine. "Now... time to show these fools why they should never underestimate me... or my genius intellect..." He chuckled as he stepped over to the platform that would take him to the cockpit. His eyes flashed as he pressed the button.

The platform began to rise, taking him into a large chute that would encase him in his pilot suit. He closed his eyes as the platform passed through several energy barriers, each one dismantling his clothing and leaving him with nothing on, save for his glasses. Robotnik felt the telltale energy field forming above him, materializing the material needed for his suit. As the platform passed through it, the skintight pilot suit began to form on his naked flesh, making him tense his muscles and grit his teeth. The black material stretched over his massive frame, engulfing him in its sticky clutches before his head poked through and he grunted, pulling his arms and legs free as the energy barrier moved down his body. A grunt later and his feet pulled free as the platform continued to ascend. He could feel the nodes forming on his suit as he passed through one more barrier, leaving him in his completed suit.

Robotnik emerged from the chute, finally ready to take the fight to his enemies.

His pilot suit was a rather imposing design, with spike-like nodes on the wrists, ankles, shoulders, and back. It was mostly black with hints of red running down the arms in a hexagonal pattern from the elbow down to his wrist bands. The same thing was visible on his knees, running down to his ankle bands. He looked up as he approached the cockpit. As soon as he stepped in, the door slid shut, and he was sealed inside.

"_Ah... Uncle? You are ready?_" Snivley asked from the bridge.

"Of course, nephew," Robotnik remarked. "I'm _always_ ready."

"_Very well. You are cleared to launch._" Snivley's voice was unsure and nervous, but he was competent at handling the launching systems.

Robotnik waited as his machine's systems synced with the pilot suit he wore. His glasses flashed and within minutes he was seeing things through the optical camera of his machine like it was his own eyes. He could feel vague sensations from his machine's chassis, and he slowly flexed his arms.

The machine flexed its massive limbs in response.

And Robotnik sneered.

"Ivanov Robotnik... Mecha Omega, launching!"

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**MAIN COMMAND CENTER**

* * *

The alarm was blaring as the six kids ran in, their hair a mess from the trip over.

"What...What's the situation?" Tsuranuki gasped as he clutched at a stitch in his side.

Director Hayasugi glanced to the six, a grim look on his face. "We got trouble," he replied.

"What kind?" Ryuji growled, his cheetah ears flat against his head.

The cat Faunus said nothing as he nodded to Shashot, whose face vanished from the main monitor and a visual image of the situation appeared on the main screen.

Tsuranuki's eyes widened as he recognized that airship. "You gotta be kidding me!" he blurted. "_Him?!_"

Miku was stunned as well. "But... why him?!" she asked, fear flooding her features.

Shinobu growled. "My guess is he's after something..." he snarled, his eyes narrowed. "My clan has had run ins with his robots before..."

Akita was silent, but he knew what Shinobu meant. That man was a genius... and a threat.

Ryuji clenched his fists as he stared at the ship, determination etched on his face. Tsuranuki could only wonder what he was thinking about at that moment. He then snuck a look over at Hayato, whose teeth were bared, his eyes hard like gemstones.

"So he's attacking Sanban Industries?" he asked.

The director nodded. "Yes. Seeing as how Sanban Industries is a premiere Dust research company, it makes sense, especially given what they were studying recently," he explained.

"What were they studying that could possibly earn Robotnik's attention?" Shinobu asked.

Here Director Hayasugi was silent before he looked to Futaba who nodded. She stepped up. "First off, you know about the varieties of Dust we use, which is common knowledge. But there are a few variants of Dust that _aren't_ common knowledge. One such type is the toxic variant that gave birth to the Glue Monster in Townsville some time back," she explained.

Tsuranuki remembered reading about that one. "I remember that," he mused.

Akita's eyes flicked to Futaba as she pressed a button and up came a new type of Dust crystal, but with one key difference.

This one was pitch black.

"What...?" Akita's eyes widened at the image. Something about this Dust crystal just screamed _wrong_ at him. And judging from the expressions on the faces of the others, they were getting the same feeling.

"This is Black Dust," Futaba began. "It's a rare, very dangerous Dust that is capable of absorbing any energy that comes into contact with it. Sanban Industries managed to procure a sample from some recently excavated areas of interest, and have been studying it and its effects ever since. Due to the nature of this ability, it makes sense that Robotnik would seek to get his grubby little hands on it."

"Any idea as to why?" Miku asked.

Here Futaba looked to the director who sighed. "We think it may have to do with his own enemy... particularly one hedgehog."

The kids all gasped at that.

"You mean...?" Hayato's eyes went wide.

Hokuto nodded once. "Yes. The Blue Speedster. Sonic the Hedgehog."

"I see where this story is headed then," Akita mused. "If he gets his hands on the Black Dust, he can use it to sap Sonic's speed and render him helpless."

The older cat Faunus nodded. "Yes. That is, what we think, his objective."

"_It makes the most sense, as with that, Sonic would be unable to use his legendary speed,_" Shashot confirmed. "_Which makes it a top priority to defend Sanban Industries lest he get his hands on that Dust._"

The kids all nodded, a serious look crossing each of their faces.

"So get to the LinkPods. The sooner you get out there, the better!" Hokuto ordered.

"_Hai!_" The kids saluted as one before running for the doorway.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**LAUNCH BAY**

* * *

Esebu revved his engine impatiently as he felt anxiety crawling through his processor. "C'mon...! How much longer?!" he muttered.

"Just calm down," Haifu said from the next rail over. "We're all anxious, not just you."

"A lot easier said than done, thank you!" Esebu shot back as he glanced to her.

"Both of you, just relax!" Efu shouted from behind Nozoma. "We need to stay focused!"

"Efu's right," Fumikiri stated from the other side of Esebu. "This won't get us anywhere."

Esebu realized that his friends were right. Every one of them needed to be focused to bring their A game to this fight. And given how they had _no_ idea as to what Robotnik was going to use or planning, they needed to be ready. The leader shifted back and forth on his tracks, trying to calm down. But it was a lot harder than he thought, given what was at stake here.

"_Okay! You've been cleared to deploy!_" Futaba's voice reminded them. "_Just be careful, and try to not damage the city any more than it already has been._"

"_Hai!_" the team said.

The light turned green and the six began to pull out.

"Esebu, E7 Kagayaki..."

"Haifu, H5 Hayabusa..."

"Fumikiri, E3 Tsubasa..."

"Matagi, E6 Komachi..."

"Nozoma, N700A..."

"Efu, E5 Hayabusa..."

"..._Shuppatsu shinkō!_" the six declared.

Esebu revved his engine as he entered the tunnel and flicked on his lights. '_Okay, Robotnik! You're not gonna get that Dust... no matter what it takes!_' he thought, determination flooding his processor.

And he meant it, too.

* * *

**SANBAN INDUSTRIES BATTLESPACE**

* * *

Dracon grunted as he blocked a few more shots from the ground robots with his shield, using his flight to stay above them.

"Man! These guys just don't quit!" he muttered.

"Gee, ya think?" Seph snarked as he used a telepathic pulse to shield himself from several gunshots.

The Gundam rolled his violet optics before he dodged a salvo of gunfire and used his fin funnels to block a single surface-to-air missile fired from a larger mecha huddled further back from the group. He directed his funnels to dance around the battlespace, using their beams to take out several of the heavier armored robots. It was here that Dracon finally decided to take stock of the robots' fighting forces.

He took note of the few remaining aerial drones, which were all heavily armored helicopter types.

"Dammit..." he muttered. "What's it gonna take to bring these things down?!"

He had no idea that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

* * *

**ROBOTNIK'S AIRSHIP**

* * *

The large airship was upon its target.

And Robotnik's machine was ready.

He crouched in the cockpit, and his eyes gleamed beneath his glasses. The catapult was ready. His machine crouched upon the device, and the hangar doors slowly eased open, exposing the cityscape of Tokyo beneath his ship. The lights above the hangar door turned green, and he gave a loud roar as the catapult slung his machine forward for the open hangar bay. The doors were wide open, and he was out in the sky in a few seconds. He spread his machine's arms and legs, and behind it, the massive metallic wings unfolded.

Behind him, he could sense the smaller pod detaching from the ship, making its descent towards Sanban Industries HQ.

Yes. Those fools were too preoccupied to realize his real mission...

He tapped into the comm systems of all forces, and he grinned as he spied an image of his machine coming down on the main news station's broadcast. He took great pride in this one, having developed it primarily to combat against the Kaiju Grimm if any surfaced during the attacks he pulled, but in this case, he was not about to let this opportunity slide, as he wished to see what Japan's project truly looked like.

Mecha Omega stood at a towering fifty two meters in height, and it possessed a singular optical camera lens, and its helm was built like a WWII German soldier's, complete with a sort of...snout...so to speak. It had bulky arms and legs, but the joints were highly tuned to make it as agile as possible without sacrificing armor. The wings on its back were based on those of a bat, and the metallic membrane in between the 'fingers' was strong enough to support his machine's weight. The machine itself was painted a black color with red accents, and its singular optic lens glowed a threatening purple, not like Dracon's calm amethyst optics. The Mecha Omega was armed heavily, possessing a heavy machine gun for its type, and a heat axe was strapped to the back of its skirt armor. On its legs were grenade launchers and a thick metal knife was attached to a sheath on its chest.

Robotnik sneered as he heard the panicked voice of the announcer before he muted it.

Yes... This was going to be fun.

* * *

**SANBAN INDUSTRIES BATTLESPACE**

* * *

Dracon was stunned by the sudden arrival of this new mecha.

His reactor leapt into his throat and he gulped, but he shoved it aside and gripped his beam magnum in his hands. "Okay! The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" he muttered.

"Hold on! You can't just charge right in!" Seph shot back as he came up beside the Gundam, one hand holding half a helicopter drone's head and the other wielding a rotor blade as a makeshift sword. "This is Dr. Robotnik we're dealing with here!"

"I can see that!" Dracon shot back. "I'm not stupid, you know!"

The Gundam directed his attention to the huge mecha as it lowered itself down on those batlike wings, touching down not too far from where they hovered. Below them, Lobomon had been assisting the soldiers in attacking the tank drones, only to halt his attacks at the sight of the large machine. His teeth gritted as he looked up at it, hands gripping his beam sabers in a death grip.

"So, any ideas?" he asked, directing the question at the two fliers above him.

Dracon's optics narrowed as he scanned over the large war machine with a low growl. "This thing is heavily armored," he remarked. "Only the cameras are vulnerable. And as it stands, only two of us can fly."

"Yeah..." Lobomon's voice trailed off as he directed his gaze to the machine. "But every machine has joints, so..."

"Somehow I doubt it will be that easy," Seph retorted as he tossed the helicopter drone's head aside and gripped his makeshift sword, seething pure silvery-green energy over it. "So, let's get ready for anything!"

Dracon nodded as he summoned forth that pseudo-Aura, and Lobomon's beam sabers hummed as he gripped them. He felt a little bit envious of Dracon and Seph for having power they could draw upon, whereas he was limited to his evolutions and special attacks. He had no Aura or Semblance to speak of, and he had no Dust augmented weapons or technology to give him a fighting chance in this world. Just his skills and abilities. And that was something he was determined to correct.

The machine's optic flashed and a chuckle came from its external speakers.

"_Well... I did not expect to see the Dragon of Denver and that hybrid in the same space,_" Robotnik's voice sneered. "_This should be an interesting test of the modifications to my greatest invention._"

Dracon's wings arched as he flared his optics. "Oh yeah?!" he growled.

Seph held out a hand warningly, but he did have a reason to be wary as well. If Robotnik had been keeping tabs on them, then it would make sense that he'd have developed countermeasures. But as to what kind, he needed to know.

They both did.

And Dracon made his first move.

His beam magnum hummed hungrily as he aimed it and pressed the trigger, building up a charged shot. The weapon began to vibrate as he released the trigger, sending the full powered shot right for the robot's massive knee joint. However, Robotnik merely cackled as the blast struck his mecha's leg.

"_You honestly think that will work?!_" he sneered. "_I said I modified this machine to counter you, didn't I?_"

Dracon's faceplate seemed to turn a shade paler at that. His optics widened in shock and terror as the massive war machine reached out a hand, moving right for him! The Dragon of Denver flared his wings and kicked on his thruster pack to full burn, darting out of reach as the massive metallic digits barely scraped his cloak's edges. He flipped around and aimed his beam magnum again, this time aiming for the wrist joint.

The shot barked out as he fired a second charged shot, and this time, it got results. The mecha recoiled its hand from the blast, and Robotnik shook its hand before looking to him. "_That wasn't even enough to sever my hand!_" he sneered. "_So, is that all you had, Dragon of Denver?_"

Dracon's optics narrowed as he fired off his fin funnels, darting them about the battlespace as Seph let loose a salvo of explosive feathers for the mecha's optic lens. Below, Lobomon lunged into the fray, attacking with his beam sabers at the foot, and Robotnik cast his mecha's gaze down at the white warrior. "_Oh, what's this? A little insect thinks he can itch me? Nice try, insect!_" he cackled as he drew back his other foot...

And thrust it down towards him.

Lobomon's head shot up and his eyes widened in terror as he crouched and, with that uncanny agility, leapt to the side with inhuman speed. He barely cleared the impact zone and landed on his chest, the shockwave from the impact sending him rolling for a few meters before he slammed into a car, his back aching from the impact.

He staggered to his feet, feeling his back aching. He was going to have bruises after this fight; he was sure of it.

Explosions reached his hearing and he looked up to see the pinkish beams from Dracon's fin funnels and his beam burst gun's signature reddish beams striking Robotnik's large metallic frame, and Seph's explosive feathers hitting the legs and knees in hopes of trying to break them or send the machine crashing to the ground...

And that was something they couldn't afford.

Lobomon turned and made his way back to where the soldiers were trying to evacuate the civilian population and themselves as well. What few vehicles they had mobilized were moving out, and a number of civilian vehicles were crowding the streets.

If he couldn't directly fight, then maybe he could at least help the civilians get to safety...

* * *

**EN ROUTE TO BATTLESPACE**

* * *

The entire trip was tense.

Esebu's engine was racing as he pushed all available power he was drawing through his pantograph directly to his wheels and drive systems.

He could see his speed in the lower right hand corner of his vision, ticking at his top speed of 170 miles per hour. However, given the circumstances, he was pushing closer to 180, he felt.

Behind him he could sense the others following, pushing their own engines to the limit.

"_We're almost there!_" Efu called over his comm.

"Good!" Esebu responded. "Everyone, get ready!"

"_Hai!_" came the replies.

The six trains drew closer to the battlespace, and then Futaba's voice came over the comm. "_Shifting over to battery power, Rails of Light engaging!_" she declared.

Esebu detached his pantograph from the power lines and he felt the power fade as his internal batteries kicked in. Further up the track, a rail switch kicked into action and the Rails of Light formed, branching off towards the smoke still curling skyward.

The blue and white _shinkansen_ was the first one to shift over, his wheels bumping a little as he did so. Behind him the others did the same, and five other Rails of Light expanded out, allowing the six to travel alongside one another. He directed his attention to the coming fight, and he tensed.

"_Be careful, kids,_" Hokuto cautioned them. "_Robotnik is a genius. So be on high alert for anything he might pull._"

"Understood!" Esebu replied.

"_Hai!_" Haifu said.

"Yes, sir!" Fumikiri responded.

"Clear," Matagi stated.

"Roger," Nozoma remarked.

"Got it!" Efu chirped.

The comms went dark and the six finally could see the fighting raging before them.

* * *

**SANBAN INDUSTRIES BATTLESPACE**

* * *

"AAAAGH!"

The last thing Dracon expected was to be blown back by the attack.

He landed flat on his back, his wings spread out to either side of him. A few of his fin funnels landed beside him on the ground, and he groaned as he struggled to push himself into a sitting position. "D...Dammit...!" he grunted.

The Gundam suddenly gasped as his radar blared in his head and he rolled to the side as Seph landed on the ground, his wings arching as he looked up, his eyes flashing silver before he launched himself off the ground for the enemy. He cried out as he fired off a blast of silvery energy from his hand, only to get it launched back at him. His eyes widened as his own attack exploded against landed on the ground, skidding to a stop beside Dracon.

A blur of white-blue caught Dracon off guard as he saw the form of Lobomon dash forward, his lightsabers flashing as he cut at one of the enemy's large legs, but his efforts got nowhere. A deep, robotic laugh echoed over the area as the enemy looked down upon him. Lobomon looked up and was shocked to see the purple optical lens flaring before it fired off a blast of energy right for him. Lobomon leapt back, barely avoiding getting hit only due to his Digimon reflexes. He landed on the ground and skidded back, his red eyes locking onto the massive shape looming over them all.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHA! Do you see?! It's useless, fools!_" the voice of Dr. Robotnik cackled. "_No matter what you try, this machine will showcase the superiority of my genius! And not even Japan's Hunters, let alone that Demon Blade of the East, can stop it!_"

Dracon glanced up, and his reactor leapt into his throat at the sight of the large foot of the enemy looming over them, ready to squash them like the insects they were. "Oh... Glob...!" he whispered.

There was no way even _his_ beam barrier would keep them safe. Dr. Robotnik had thought ahead on everything. His latest achievement was something not even they could defeat. And two of them were some of the strongest warriors in the world.

They were doomed.

Dracon dimmed his optics as he braced for the inevitable defeat.

The last thing he expected was to hear a loud explosion. His optics flashed back to their violet hue as he glanced up, and he swore they widened at the sight of a large blast of green energy coming from nowhere. The robot staggered back, its leg burned at the ankle joint.

"_**WHAT?!**_" Robotnik's voice was filed with rage as the robot managed to regain its footing, but barely.

Dracon cast his gaze around the battlefield, trying to find the source of the beam that saved their lives.

"This has gone far enough!" a deep male voice bellowed.

All the combatants looked up, and Dracon gasped as a figure unlike any other he had seen landed atop a building, silhouetted against the sun.


	26. BREACH

_SANBAN INDUSTRIES_

_FILE REPORT No. 13597-0-2A_

_The Black Dust has proven to be a mystery unlike any other._

_Sure it has the ability to absorb energy, but who's to say that that's all it can do?_

_For all we know, perhaps there is a way to reverse this absorption process and project energy out in massive quantities. It could be considered the ultimate in energy sources! No longer would we need Dust, oil, coal, nuclear, or any other type we currently are bound to!_

_I must say, the idea is truly appealing._

_However... there is a bit of a problem. As it is formed from the Dark Substance, we need to be extra careful in case it produces a Grimm based on the technology we use to draw out its latent power._

_At least that is the current theory._

_If we can prove that we can draw out its energies without it absorbing our tech and creating a new Grimm, we'd be one step closer to finally deciding our own victory in this war! Now let's see..._

_Ah, yes..._

_The G-Reactor. That is a perfect name..._

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: BLACK DUST_**

_Black Dust is the most recent variant of Dust discovered._

_It is, as its name implies, pitch black in color, and possesses very unusual properties._

_Unlike many other types of Dust which augment speed, power, strength, or allow access to the elements of nature, Black Dust possesses the ability to nullify any types of energy or magic used against it. Research conducted by Professor Utonium of Townsville, Japan, has verified that it does have a limit as to how much energy it can contain, but as to what that limit is, no one can be sure. What is conclusively known, however, is that if it were to acquire more energy than its theoretical limits, it could explode._

_More study is required to further understand this mysterious type of Dust._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to forbidden technology, magic, or weapons, no one can be sure as to what the effects of such things are without much study and experimentation. But what if that technology, weaponry, magic, or spell was even more dangerous than you know?" Izumi asked as he leaned back in his seat.

The man reached over and tapped a monitor, showing the crystal of Black Dust. "Black Dust, in this world, is a variant of the normal types, but due to the location where it was found, it's become forbidden due to this nature." On the screen, it showed the black crystal fragmenting and then becoming smaller pools of black ooze. "It's just like the Dark Substance in its origins. But when it is fused with organic life, it can give them incredible powers... as shown with the Powerpuff Girls. A stark contrast to the Dark Substance, which turns victims who fall into it into Fallen. That means that both have differing abilities to affect organics."

He tapped the screen and it went dark. "So, which is it? A variant of the Dark Substance? Or a new type of Dust? Well, only research can determine that."

* * *

**CHAPTER XXV - BREACH**

"This has gone far enough!" a deep male voice bellowed.

All the combatants looked up, and Dracon gasped as a figure unlike any other he had seen landed atop a building, silhouetted against the sun.

The form standing on the roof of the nearby building was imposing in build, with a pair of what appeared to be wings on its back, and it held in one hand a sword of some kind. A pair of yellow optics pulsed before the form was finally revealed.

Dracon's own optics widened as he realized that this newcomer was an alien, just like the three he had seen back at the Sanban Estate! But this one was primarily green and white with pink accents on his frame and helm, and golden claws on his feet for added traction, he guessed. The alien robot crouched and leapt off the building, his sword flashing as he lunged for the large mecha.

A barrage of gunfire came just as the green and white _shinkansen_ mech's sword slammed into the huge mecha's chest plate, making it stagger back from the impact. The gunfire struck the massive robot's chassis, and within it, he could hear Robotnik hissing from the damage he was feeling, no doubt. The Gundam pivoted his head to look in the direction of the gunfire, and was surprised to see _another_ alien train robot, this one being primarily red with white accents, landing atop a second building, the demonic goggles on its head covering its optics. The goggles flipped up, exposing yellow optics as they flashed briefly. The mecha lowered the guns in its hands and spoke. "Now, Haifu!" came the cry, and Dracon was briefly floored by the sound of this mech's voice. It was almost like Sebben's, just a bit higher pitched in tone. He looked to the direction of a white and green blur, and Dracon had to zoom his optics in on it, only to see it was a _female_ alien robot, possessing the same alternate form as the green and white mech, but with purple accents instead of pink, and her clawed feet were more of an orange color.

Her sword flashed as she swung it, this time holding it aloft, and Dracon saw the symbol on its side flash.

Then, a glimmer of light appeared on either side of the big war machine, and the Gundam, along with Seph and Lobomon, gaped as the lights formed into what appeared to be an energy cage modeled after a turnstile in the station. Twin gates clamped shut on either end, trapping Robotnik's mecha within the cage. He turned, looking around at the energy cage and he clenched his machine's fists. "_Nice try!_" he cackled. "_Not even Dracon could stop me!_"

"Yeah? Then you're really in for it!" Esebu cried.

Robotnik's gaze snapped up as he heard that voice, and he pivoted around, trying to find the speaker. A flash of blue and white vaulted over the top of a nearby building, and Esebu's optics flared bright green as he thrust his drill forward, that blue Aura seething over his weapon, along with an icy glow. "_**WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!**_"

The lead _Shinkalion's_ drill whirred loudly as he prepared to drive it into one of the joints of Robotnik's machine. However, the robotics expert cackled as he grabbed Esebu's arm in one massive metal hand, catching him off guard.

"_WHAT!?_"

The next thing he knew, he was thrown back - _hard!_

Esebu screamed as he was hurled through the air, right for an intersection outside Sanban Industries' main office complex and factory.

He slammed into the ground, creating a crater on impact.

Dracon winced. '_Ouch! That had to _hurt!' he thought to himself.

Esebu groaned as he shook his helm, forcing the pain of his pounding processor aside. He grunted as he pushed himself into a sitting position, ignoring the aching in his joints and systems. After all, he had taken worse.

"Okay... Didn't see that coming," he muttered.

A blur of white caught his optic and he watched as Nozoma burst through the air, his thrusters roaring as he drew back his fist, his Aura seething into the punch. He threw his fist forward, and his fist connected solidly with the massive war machine's lower torso, forcing it to stagger back from the impact. That was the cue for a pair of reddish orange buzzsaws to whip past his helm. Esebu placed a hand on the ground and slowly pushed himself to his feet, his limbs shaking from the impact with the ground. He watched as the shuriken struck the war machine's legs and arm, making it shudder as metal scraped against metal.

Fumikiri's hand lashed out and he snatched his weapons out of the air as they came back around. He lowered his arms and flipped his weapons back into kunai form, gazing at the mecha as it stood there, as if dead.

For a moment, Dracon wondered if Robotnik had been knocked out from the force of the impact from Nozoma, but then his reactor plunged to his feet as he heard that cackle come over the external speakers.

"_Hahahahahahaha! You truly thought you had me?_" he cackled. "_I already told you I had planned for this! There is no way you have a chance at victory!_"

"Says you!" the green and white mecha snarled, his optics flaring. He tensed his frame, but then Haifu placed a hand on him and shook her helm.

"No, Efu! Remember that it drains you completely," she cautioned. Dracon mentally arched an eyebrow, wondering if she meant some kind of attack.

But he brushed it from his mind before he glanced to Seph and Lobomon close by. "Think we should help?" Lobomon asked.

"No. These guys seem to know what they're doing," Seph mused as he narrowed his silver eyes.

"Somehow I doubt it," Dracon muttered. His optics narrowed as he watched the six aliens attack.

"You doubt them? Why?" Lobomon asked as he looked at the Gundam.

"It's not that I doubt their abilities, seeing as how I fought alongside three of them," Dracon clarified. "It's that I doubt they know what Robotnik is capable of, seeing as how he's a robotics expert." The Gundam shuddered a bit. "I remember a few years back when I was visiting the Vist Foundation for a routine upgrade a computer virus nearly shut down the whole system and almost downloaded data on my frame's construction and blueprints."

Seph's eyes hardened. "I take it the hackers failed?" he asked.

Dracon nodded. "Yeah... they did. But only because they couldn't get past the firewalls that were erected shortly after their breach."

Lobomon's eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze back towards the battling robots. "And you fear they may underestimate Robotnik?" he asked.

The Gundam was silent, but then nodded his head once. "It's something I don't wanna even think about, let alone consider," Dracon murmured. "That could lead to the worst case scenarios... And believe me, I do _not_ wanna consider what's gonna happen if they lose!"

The Digimon wasn't too keen on that, but he ignored it as he turned to observe the fight.

As he watched, he could see that the robots were now going on the offense, charging towards the mecha.

And he was worried for them.

* * *

For his part, Esebu was also worried. They were just charging at this machine with no real plan. And from what he knew, they needed to gauge the capabilities of this machine before making any more moves.

He gripped his drill and charged in, watching as Robotnik's mecha gripped its machine gun and aimed it right for them. "SCATTER!" he shouted.

The team split up, with Fumikiri and Matagi dodging to the left, Efu and Haifu rolling to the sides and he and Nozoma sprang to the right just as the mecha opened fire with that gun. The shells barely missed the six _Shinkalions_ as they dodged the gunfire. Esebu landed and skidded back, his optics pulsing as he glanced up at the huge machine. '_Okay. So from the looks of it, this machine is heavily armored and is meant for assaulting well defended positions. At least, that's what I'm guessing. The wings are problematic though. They shouldn't be able to support its weight... unless they were reinforced somehow, which would make sense, given who's driving it,_' he thought.

He directed his attention to the frame of the mecha, his engineer's mind kicking into overdrive. '_Joints... heavily reinforced. That's an issue, too. Unable to get a hit on those means we'll need another plan of attack. Unless this thing has seams in its armor that are vulnerable..._'

His musings were interrupted when he felt Nozoma slap him on the shoulder guard. "Hey! What's the plan?" Nozoma asked.

Esebu shook his helm and forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. He scanned over the mecha once more, and he scowled to himself. He directed his attention to his COMM system and activated it, communicating across the Team Shinkalion frequency. "_Bad news, guys. This thing is heavily armored, and it looks to have been developed for siege warfare. So we need to try and learn its abilities before we can make a move,_" he said.

Efu's voice echoed in his head and he had to suppress a shudder. "_So in other words, fight from a distance?_" he asked.

"_Hardly,_" Haifu mused. "_If I'm right, then we'll need to get in as well as fight from long range, right, Esebu?_"

Esebu nodded. "_Yeah. That's it, basically. And from what I've seen in this fight, it seems like this machine's meant to tangle with the best of the best. Robotnik is an engineer you don't wanna mess with..._"

"_And you can't come up with how to take this thing down?_" Nozoma asked. "_That's surprising, given your family's company._"

"_I'm not a robotics expert!_" Esebu shot back.

"_Enough!_" Fumikiri butted in. "_Let's focus and try and gather intel on this machine. Maybe even ask Shashot for some ideas on how to fight this man._"

Esebu looked down as he thought, only for a loud whistling to reach his hearing. He glanced up and his engine leapt into his throat as he saw the mecha firing off the grenade launchers on its legs... sending the rounds right for them!

"_MOVE!_" he bellowed, both audibly and over the COMM system.

The six _Shinkalions_ split up, going every which way to avoid the grenades as they impacted the ground and several buildings close by. Esebu rolled to a stop behind one of the buildings, holding his drill across his chest as he panted heavily, his shoulders heaving. "Geez! This guy isn't pulling any punches!" he muttered.

A grenade exploded too close to his hiding spot, making him flinch as shrapnel barely missed his armored shoulder. He decided to risk taking a peek out around the corner, and had he been human, his eyes would've widened at the carnage he was seeing.

The entire area around Sanban Industries was resembling a war zone the more time passed. Buildings with holes torn in their faces, cars and streets flooded with bodies, blood, oil and whatnot... craters lining the main streets, and rubble piling from the devastation. It was more like a scene out of a post-apoc film. Esebu shuddered and shook his helm to force the thoughts from his processor. He had other things to worry about, such as how to actually fight a man with a genius intellect.

For once, he began to worry that they were outmatched. Perhaps they _were_ in over their heads...

"_Esebu?! Are you there?_" came Futaba's voice.

His helm snapped up at her exclamation and he pressed his free hand to his helm. "Yeah. What's up?" he asked.

"_Esebu, this is not a casual thing!_" Futaba scolded him. "_From now on, you have to say 'I copy,' or something along those lines! Remember, your cover is that you are aliens from another world that was wracked by civil war! You have to start playing the part if it's to be believable!_"

The _Shinkalion_ winced, but nodded. "Understood," he said.

"_Good. Now, give me a sitrep,_" Futaba ordered.

Esebu guessed that it meant situation report, at least from what he had learned during his mediocre Huntsman training.

He glanced back at Robotnik's mecha as it aimed its machine gun and fired at where he could see Matagi aiming his guns from. "To put it simply... bad. We're engaging this thing, and it's heavily armored," he replied. "The mecha has a pair of wings on its back that look like they can't hold its weight, but I have a suspicion they've been reinforced to take its massive weight. The joints appear to be reinforced so as to not be broken that easily. It's got what appears to be an axe on its rear skirt armor and it has grenade launchers on its legs. Its primary weapon is a heavy machine gun, and I'm guessing it has a few other weapons, too. But until we know more, we're only guessing."

Futaba was silent as she processed the data. "_It seems like Robotnik has developed this mecha of his to be able to counter Dracon, Seph, and any of the stronger Huntsmen. But just as you have no idea about his capabilities, he has no idea about your capabilities either,_" she explained. "_So you had best get the jump on him before he figures out how to fight you._"

Esebu nodded. "_Hai!_" He let his hand drop from his helm as the COMM went dark. He turned back to the mecha as it grasped its machine gun and fired at him again, forcing him to move. As he ran, his optics darted around, trying to pick out any weaknesses in that mecha's frame. His efforts were interrupted when he heard a loud bellow, and his helm snapped up to stare in shock as Nozoma lunged up from behind the mecha, his thrusters roaring as he drew back a fist seething with Aura energy. He threw his arm forward, and his blow connected solidly with the mecha's massive metal cheek. The helm of the mecha whipped to the right before the white _Shinkalion_ thrust his foot out in a side thrust kick, dealing some damage to its neck joint. Nozoma sprang back, doing a back flip before he landed on the ground, looking to Esebu. Esebu was baffled as to what he wanted him to do, before he saw it.

A faint sparking...

Coming from the neck joint Nozoma had damaged!

'_That's it! The joints can't be damaged by a single attack! They have to be hit repeatedly in order to deal damage to them!_' he thought as realization struck.

The lead _Shinkalion_ nodded to Nozoma who returned it. Then he got on the team's COMM frequency. "_Okay, guys! I think I got an idea on how to fight this thing now! Nozoma managed to deal some damage to its neck joint, so..._"

Efu's voice was next on the frequency. "_...I think I get what you're saying!_" he remarked. "_We have to hit the joints repeatedly, just like how a_ shinkansen_ hits all its stops on time!_"

Esebu for a moment was baffled by the sudden comparison, but he chuckled as he realized what this meant. Hayato was starting to regain his confidence. It would be some time before the specific comparisons came back, but it was a step in the right direction.

"_Yeah. Just like that,_" he said.

Haifu let out a soft cough. "_So, what's the plan, Esebu?_" she asked.

The lead _Shinkalion_ looked at the mecha as it loomed over them, holstering its machine gun and going for the axe attached to its skirt armor, pulling it free and then hefting it in a fighting stance. Esebu hissed through his vents as he eyed the weapon critically. Its blade began to heat up, and a jolt of terror raced through his frame. "Oh, shit...!" he swore. "That axe's got a heated blade! Which means it could slice through our frames if we're not careful!"

"_Dammit! That's bad!_" Fumikiri snarled.

"_I take it we have to avoid it then?_" Nozoma asked sarcastically.

Esebu nodded. "_Yeah._"

Their conversation was interrupted as the huge war machine ran towards Nozoma and Esebu, swinging that massive axe and forcing them to dodge to the side. Esebu's optics picked out Matagi as he crouched atop a building, his guns in their cannon form as he charged up his move, that red Aura seething around his frame and into his guns. Esebu smirked in his thoughts as the red and white _Shinkalion_ made his move. "**_FUMIKIRI BARRAGE!_**"

Matagi's cannons roared, sending their blazing red payload right for the mecha's back.

The helm jerked up as the attack drew closer, splitting into numerous smaller shots that struck its back, arms, and legs. The optic flashed as Robotnik's scream of pain came over the external speakers. The huge machine staggered forward, losing its balance and toppling to the ground like a huge metallic tree. Esebu and Nozoma dodged the impact, landing further back, holding their weapons at the ready.

Silence filled the entire battlefield, the _Shinkalions _unaware of what was happening inside Sanban Industries even as they fought.

* * *

**SANBAN INDUSTRIES**

**MAINTENANCE ENTRANCE**

* * *

Snivley Robotnik was not too thrilled about this, but he felt it was necessary in the long term for his own ambitions.

The young scientist disengaged the cloaking armor he wore and landed lightly on the ground after detaching from the ceiling, having managed to sneak in under the cover of the battle. It had taken some time, but he managed to evade detection long enough to slip into the maintenance tunnels that ran throughout the complex. Some of them, according to the maps he had procured through...poking around...the company database, actually ran right through the labs in which they studied Dust and its different applications.

And he was in one such tunnel.

He glanced at the map on the visor of his armor, a small dot signifying his location. An arrow was beeping, showing him where to go to get to the target, represented by a small dark blob on his HUD.

Snivley gulped before he moved on, creeping past a deserted intersection that had a camera over it. He raised a hand and with a flick of his wrist, a jammer was launched onto the camera. It latched on and a signal was sent to initiate a feedback loop of the last five minutes prior to his entrance into the intersection. He waited a few minutes before he confirmed the loop was in effect. With that taken care of, he continued on his way.

He wandered throughout the hallways, every now and then having to grip the walls to keep himself from toppling over as the building shuddered under the explosions raging outside. He shot a glance at the timer as it ticked down on the side of his HUD; he had been given an hour and a half to acquire the Black Dust crystal before the head of the company caught wind of the theft. He did not want to face the fearsome Demon Blade of the East, that was for sure!

Snivley's radar beeped and he came to a stop, seeing that the arrow on his HUD was pointing straight at a pair of doors marked on the map. He glanced up at the Japanese characters, and he knew what they said, thanks to the translator installed in his armor's helmet.

**ほこり研究所13**

**_Dust Research Lab 13_**

He pressed the button to engage his armor's cloaking function, and within seconds he was hidden from sight and camera.

Slowly he made his way to the keypad and grasped a small wire as it extended from his armor's forearm. He jabbed it into the keypad's USB port and the decoder in his suit went to work. It took a mere minute to break through the code and the door hissed open, exposing the interior of the lab to him.

Inside the lab lay hundreds of work stations, each grouped according to different experiments and Dust types. Some, he noted, were heavily shielded to deal with the effects of radioactive Dust, or even the mutagenic variety that was used by Rattlesnake Jake. Others were more open and some even looked like they were shaped to take explosions against them.

He ignored these though as his HUD was flashing. He made his way through the various research stations until he came to one space that looked to be enclosed within a blast-proof bunker. The door was thick steel, and viewports allowed one to see inside. Snivley inched closer to one of the viewports and peered inside.

He could barely see it, but it was there.

The Black Dust crystal.

Now came the hard part...

* * *

**SANBAN INDUSTRIES BATTLESPACE**

* * *

Esebu grunted as he rolled to the side, barely dodging the heat axe as it swung his way.

Robotnik's machine was proving to be more dangerous than he had anticipated.

Especially given its immense strength.

The _Shinkalion_ leader glanced to his friends as they skidded to a stop beside him, each one bearing some form of minor damage.

Nozoma clenched his fists as his energy blades hummed hungrily. "Okay... we know how to hit it and where, but Robotnik's not letting us!" he muttered.

"Yeah... It's almost like he's just _toying_ with us..." Esebu mused, his optics dimming a shade. Something just seemed wrong here...

But what was it?

Throughout their whole fight, Robotnik had never even made a move to overtly harm them, least of all harming the civilians as they were ushered into safety. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it was like he was luring them _away_ from Sanban Industries... Away from their target...!

Esebu's helm snapped up as realization flooded his processor. "Oh... shit...!" he whispered. "He's trying to distract us!"

"Huh?" Efu looked at his superior like he was nuts. "You got a screw loose?!" he blurted.

"No. I'm not!" the lead _Shinkalion_ snapped. "Think about it, Efu! This is Robotnik we're dealing with here! He's no doubt got something planned, and he needs to keep us away from Sanban Industries while it's being carried out! Which makes me think that he's got an inside man... or barring that, someone infiltrated the company's Dust research labs!"

_That_ was enough to get everyone's attention. Fumikiri was silent, but the way his hands went slack indicated he was shocked. Haifu's hands flew to her faceplate as she squeaked and Matagi's fists clenched. Nozoma snarled lowly in his chest at that while Efu slowly looked back at the building in shock.

"You mean... we've been played?" he whispered.

Esebu nodded grimly as he hefted his drill. "Which means we'll need to take this fight seriously now." He looked up, his optics locking onto the mecha as it hefted that heat axe in both hands. "Shashot, got any ideas?"

"_I happen to have a few scenarios that could work in your favor, but they have to be carried out just right,_" the AI replied.

"Then give it to us!" Esebu ordered. "Whichever one offers the best chance of success with little loss of life!"

"_Affirmative,_" Shashot said. "_The scenario that offers the best chance of success with little loss of life is to lure it to the CIS, which is about to be activated. The facility can contain Robotnik while the rest of you try to stop his ally from escaping with the target._"

"We'll need to split up," Nozoma noted.

Esebu nodded, a plan already in place. "Yeah. So here's the group layout. Nozoma, you, Haifu, and Fumikiri keep his ally from escaping with the target. Me, Efu, and Matagi will deal with Robotnik himself."

"Because you three have unlocked your special moves, right?" Haifu asked.

Esebu just gave a curt nod at her question. "Yeah. Simply put."

Fumikiri could see the point to his choices. As he and the other two had yet to unlock their special moves, it made sense to have the three most powerful deal with the mecha. Or...

"Actually, Esebu, I think maybe it would be best to reverse the order," he suggested. He then gestured to Haifu, Matagi and Efu. "Those three are the fastest of us all, so I think it would be best to have them chase down the thief, while the rest of us deal with Robotnik."

Now that he thought about it, Esebu realized that his friend had a good point. He looked at the three, and then at the large mecha as Robotnik cackled. "_So, trying to come up with a plan? Then let's see just what kind of plan you tin cans have!_" he cackled.

Esebu glanced to Fumikiri, then the three fastest _Shinkalions_. His optics flickered before he nodded. "All right! The sooner the better!" He turned to the three directly.

"Change of plans!" he remarked. "Haifu, Efu, and Matagi, you three are the fastest of us, so you should be the ones to deal with catching that thief. The rest of us will handle Robotnik!"

Efu squeaked at that as Matagi's optics flickered a little. Haifu nodded once. "_Hai!_" she said.

The leader then directed his attention to Fumikiri and Nozoma. "You two, get ready!" he ordered.

Nozoma was silent, but nodded as Fumikiri summoned his shuriken to his hands in response.

Esebu finally directed his attention to Robotnik. "Okay, roboman! Time to show you just what you're dealing with!" he growled, trying to play the role of an alien robot perfectly.

"_As if! You alien robots are all the same!_" Robotnik giggled.

"Huh?" Esebu's helm snapped up in confusion at that. "Whaddya mean by that?!" he growled.

"_I mean what I said! The last ones that tried to attack me years ago were no match for my genius intellect!_" the robotics expert sneered. "_I believe they could transform into... what was it, again... Oh, yes! A Lamborghini, I believe it was. Yellow and red, I think. The red one was foolish to attack me head on. So I offed it as easily as I could do to you._" He then paused, chuckling a bit. "_Of course, I did decide to use the schematics of the red one to further enhance my machine to counter the hybrid and Dracon. A decision that has proven itself, as you have seen, I am sure._"

The lead _Shinkalion_ began to get a bad feeling in his gut. He knew Robotnik was a genius, but to actually use a _corpse_ of an _advanced alien_ to augment his mecha?

He felt sick to his nonexistent stomach. He ducked his helm, bowing his head as his optics became shrouded in shadow.

He gripped his drill in his hand, clenching his fingers around the grip so tight he swore he would break it. "You..." His shoulders shook, not with rage or grief, like Robotnik was no doubt assuming, but _disgust_ at his actions. He knew the man was callous at times, but this... this was... just... wrong... on so many levels.

And the worst part? He _knew_ it was wrong, and he still did it anyway.

Esebu felt a low growl building in his vocalizer as he slowly lifted his helm, and he swore he saw the huge war machine jerk back a little. His optics were burning an intense green -yellow color, and he let out an enraged bellow as he charged in, his treads whirring as he aimed his drill at the robot's leg joint.

Nozoma and Fumikiri lunged in as well, leaving the other three _Shinkalions_ behind. Matagi took the chance to take charge. "Okay, you guys. Be ready for when the thief comes out."

"But how will we expect the thief to emerge?" Haifu asked.

Efu looked around, his optics scanning for any sign of a getaway ship or something of that nature.

Then...

* * *

Robotnik grunted as the blue and white alien smashed his drill into the joint of Mecha Omega.

He could feel the dull throb, but he ignored it as his machine's joints had been enforced to deal with such blows.

He drew back a fist and slammed it into the ground, forcing the alien to back off as he dodged, flipping and landing on the ground, his optics burning a greenish-yellow color in his fury. And personally, Robotnik enjoyed seeing him in such a state. It was just what he needed to gather more data to perfect his next generation of AI programs. To emulate such emotions was top-quality programming. Whichever advanced ancient alien race crafted these robots had programming techniques he'd kill to get his hands on.

But for now, he'd settle with just observing and making his own notes and experimenting.

He drew back his metallic fist and flexed it as he reached for the knife on his machine's chest.

"_Uncle!_"

His head perked up as he heard the voice of his nephew. "Hm?" A quick thought and a screen appeared in the left hand corner of his vision. "What is it, Snivley?" he asked.

The boy's face was flushed, but he looked triumphant as he held up a box that was coated in the darkest black possible. "_I have it!_" he remarked. "_I got the package._"

Robotnik hummed as he used his machine's scanners to find the boy and his cargo. A scan of the box confirmed his suspicions.

It was the Black Dust crystal the company had been studying.

A grin crossed his face. "Excellent! Take your ship and head back to the rendezvous! I'll meet you there once I take care of these pests..."

Snivley nodded. "_Yes, sir._" The window shut down and Robotnik sneered as he hefted his axe in one hand, his other pulling the machine gun free from its holster on his back.

"Now... shall we dance...?"

* * *

Matagi and the other two _Shinkalions_ were surprised to hear the sound of what appeared to be a small airship taking off from behind the building.

"Oh, Glob...!" Haifu swore. "The thief's making their getaway!"

The small aircraft lifted off the ground, its engines flaring as it dashed ahead, accelerating to a respectable speed of 260 kilometers per hour. He dimmed his optics a shade. "Now I see why Fumikiri chose us for the pursuit," he mused.

"Then let's move!" Efu exclaimed.

"Hold it! We need to be on rail lines to give chase!" Matagi pointed out.

"Yeah, but what about those Rails of Light?" Efu shot back. "We can use those!"

Matagi fell silent, realizing that Efu did have a good point. But there was the issue of how long they could remain materialized. No one knew for sure how long the Rails of Light could remain in existence, since they were still new technology. But at the same time, they needed them for the moment. And the only way to test the limits was to use them for as long as possible.

"All right..." he muttered, sighing heavily. "But if things start to go wrong with them, we go on foot."

Efu nodded, feeling it was a perfect compromise. "Right."

Matagi pressed a hand to his helm. "Futaba? You get that?"

"_Yes. I'm engaging the Rails now. You have only a short window of time to get on them though!_" she said.

"All right." He lowered his hand and glanced to his friends. "Let's move!"

The trio broke into a run as they neared the train tracks that ran by the Sanban Industries facilities. Efu was the first one to transform into his _shinkansen_ form, followed by Haifu and Matagi. As they engaged their engines and revved them, Efu saw a track switch ahead of them shift and the rails locked into place, the Rails of Light forming and extending out from said tracks. He was the first one to shift over to them, and then came Matagi and Haifu. The rails expanded out into a trio of parallel tracks, allowing them to drive beside one another.

Overhead, the airship kept going, this time making a beeline for some place further inland, Matagi noticed.

"_It looks like it's heading inland,_" he relayed to the others over his commo system.

"_I wonder why,_" Haifu mused.

"_Not sure, but we gotta get that Black Dust back before someone gets their hands on it!_" Efu exclaimed.

And Matagi knew he was right.

He gunned his engine. "_Right. Let's go!_"

"Hai!" came the reply.

Of course, things were about to take a turn for the worse... and no one knew it at the time.

* * *

**Deep within the darkness of the sealed Pools, a sinister form stirred, feeling its Master calling to it.**

**But alas, the seals still pulsed, sending energy deep into the Pools to render all Grimm creation inert. It was an ancient magic, one that had lasted for over one thousand years. Bolstered by an extensive system of spells, magic, technology, and alchemic runes, the seal was able to self-sustain its power, keeping the Pools sealed for all time. However...**

**There was one weakness. As long as the mountain remained atop it, it would not be breached, but...**

**The beast rumbled threateningly as its Master soothed it, whispering into its essence with his own. Words he knew not entered his brain, and although he didn't understand them, he did understand the emotion behind them. And he waited...**

**Waited for his time to strike.**

**It was coming soon. He could feel it...**

* * *

**SANBAN INDUSTRIES BATTLE SITE**

* * *

Esebu grunted as he leapt to the side, his drill held in his hand as Robotnik finished swinging that axe at him again.

Off to his side, Nozoma flipped and Fumikiri sprang back, both _Shinkalions_ landing close to Esebu, their weapons held at the ready.

"Dammit...! This thing's not giving us a chance to get in close!" Nozoma growled.

"Then we'll have to think and outwit him," Fumikiri mused. "But seeing as how he's a genius..."

Esebu, however, was silent as he eyed the machine before them. His optics had already picked out several key weak points, but the question was how to get at them. The primary one was the optical sensor in the head. That was without a doubt. Another weakness was the wing joints on the back. And the last two were located in the knees. Although reinforced, there was a gap that exposed the wiring for the hydraulics and systems within those massive limbs.

"...could be ready to anticipate us," Fumikiri finished.

"Yeah... But not entirely," Esebu said seriously.

"Huh?" Nozoma looked to the blue and white _Shinkalion_ leader. "You got a plan then? If so, it had better not rely on luck!"

"Hardly!" Esebu shot back. He glanced to the other two, then to Robotnik's mecha. "This thing has several weaknesses, and one of 'em is located right on the back of the knee joints!"

"Hold on. How can you be certain?" Fumikiri asked.

Here Esebu lowered his drill a bit. "When that mecha started to swing that axe at us, I noticed there was a discrepancy in its joints as it pivoted to attack us," he explained. "Robotnik claimed this thing was built to tangle with the likes of Dracon and Seph, and perhaps Major Glory, too. Or even E-Male. But... if that were the case, then why would its joints be so reinforced? Dracon's got fin funnels that can attack accurately, and Seph has those explosive feathers. Not to mention Major Glory can use his heat vision to sever them. And then there's E-Male. He may be the fastest man in Japan, and have control over some electronic devices, but even he would have trouble with this thing."

"So?" Fumikiri was confused. "What does this have to do with how reinforced the joints are?"

"Think about it!" Esebu remarked. "Those joints are supposed to be impossible to hit, right? Well, during that last pivot, I happened to see that one of them was sparking."

Nozoma's optics flashed as he eyed the lead _Shinkalion_. "Wait. Are you saying that...?"

Esebu nodded. "Its joints can't handle that massive weight!" he stated. "And that's why they're so heavily reinforced, to make sure that no one can sever them! The reinforcement is a means to keep the weight supported. That thing may be built tough, but if someone has the right equipment-" Here he hefted his drill. "-then they can break those joints wide open and it will collapse!"

Now Nozoma and Fumikiri understood what he was getting at.

"So here's the plan. Fumikiri, can you use your ninjutsu to create copies of me?" Esebu asked.

"_Hai._ I can," the ninja _Shinkalion_ said.

"Good." Esebu then turned to Nozoma. "How long can ya distract him from the front?"

Nozoma raised his mechanical hands and mimicked cracking his knuckles. "As long as you need!" he said.

Esebu nodded. "Okay. I'm sure you get the idea then?"

The two nodded as one.

"Then let's do this!" Esebu shouted.

"_Hai!_" came the cry.

The trio burst into action, with Esebu leading the charge.

Esebu glanced to Fumikiri who held up his hands and with a quick hand sign, cast his ninjutsu. Esebu's frame glowed an orangish white before he seemed to split into numerous copies. Esebu ran ahead with the copies, and Robotnik's voice echoed over the battlespace.

"_Oh? So you have a few ninja tricks, do you? Nice try! But I can easily pick out which one is the real!_" he sneered.

'_As if!_' Fumikiri thought as he eyed one supposed clone moving behind him as he started to circle. It had taken him some time, but a quick Aura Clone Jutsu was enough to mimic Esebu's signature enough to delude him into believing the real one was up front, when in reality he was _behind_ the war machine.

He held up a hand and gave another hand sign. The clones dispersed, and smoke filled the battlefield.

Robotnik recoiled. "_WHAT?!_"

Nozoma lunged out of the smoke, his energy blades humming as he thrust them forward, his optics flaring bight blue. "HAH!"

The mecha reached out and made to grab Nozoma, but the white _Shinkalion_ ignited his jets, using them to spring over the massive hand as he lashed out with his right energy blade, driving it into the thick metal to act as a handhold of sorts. He tensed his frame before he did the same with the other one, wrapping his legs around the arm, keeping himself locked in place.

And Esebu smirked to himself in his thoughts.

With Robotnik distracted by Nozoma, he was unable to even counter the attack from behind.

He lunged forward.

Esebu's engine was now racing in his chest as he thrust his drill forward, hoping against hope that Robotnik wouldn't notice him.

Surprisingly, Nozoma's efforts to garner his attention were working. The large machine was trying to pull the _Shinkalion_ off its arm, but wasn't succeeding, given that Nozoma was firmly planted on there. He actually had to stifle a chuckle at how stupid Robotnik looked trying to pull the smaller mecha off himself.

He returned his focus to his enemy's knee joints and activated his drill. He pressed the trigger three times and the Dust dispensers slid open as he channeled his Aura into it. The drill began to spin up until it was a blur of silvery color and a gleaming icy sheen. A loud roar escaped his vocalizer as he jabbed it into one of the joints, right into its barely visible gap. "**_WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!_**"

The machine seemed to gasp, dropping its arms as the start of ice forming caught Robotnik's attention. Esebu glanced to the joint, and he smirked in his thoughts as his engine purred happily in his chest.

Ice was coating the joint, and spreading out towards the rest of the limb.

A grunt escaped him as he pulled his drill out, leaving sparking metal and icy wires behind. He jumped back as the large machine's weight finally took its toll on the joint and the leg caved in, collapsing under its own weight. Robotnik cried in anger as he glanced back, his machine's optic burning a deep purple color. "_You... You space scum! You will pay for this!_" he howled, grabbing the machine gun on his back with his free hand. Nozoma took his chance to pull his energy blades free and leap off, using his thrusters to burn the huge machine's arm as he flipped back. He landed on the ground and brandished them as Fumikiri touched down, snapping his shuriken open in one hand, preparing for the throw.

Esebu revved his treads and sped around to join them, holding his drill at the ready, ice Dust still spilling from its Dust dispensers.

"You think you can still take us on?" he asked, flashing his optics. "Especially since we know your machine's weakness now?"

* * *

For his part, Robotnik had been sure that no one could penetrate the joints of his machine.

And yet, these space aliens had not only managed to distract him, but also find its weakness.

While he was a competent robotics engineer and expert, he was not able to overcome every weakness in his machines. Sure he could do his best, but even he had limits. And this was one such occasion.

He growled as he glanced down at his knee, noticing how the circuits on his pilot suit were glowing bright blue and red, indicating ice damage to the joint. He looked up, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "I will admit, I have underestimated you. But never again! Especially seeing as how my mission is already completed..."

A sneer crossed his face as he noticed the leader perk up and he turned to his two comrades, no doubt using whatever language they spoke to communicate in private.

Just as his COMM system beeped.

A small screen appeared in his window of sight and he noticed his nephew looked a bit more stressed, if not exhausted. He had a small grin on his face. "_Uncle... it is done. I was able to evade the three that gave chase._"

"Excellent. You must tell me how you did it after we rendezvous. Are you at the airship?" the robotics expert asked.

"_Yes. I managed to sneak around and rejoin it shortly after they left._" The boy held up the box with the Black Dust. "_Are you coming too?_"

"Yes. Let me finish up here... I have a big surprise in store..." Robotnik cackled as the boy gulped a bit. "But rest assured, it will do no harm to the populace... as long as they stay out of the fight."

Snivley nodded before he closed down the COMM system and Robotnik stood his machine up, using the axe as a crutch.

"You fools thought you had me, didn't you? Your plan was brilliant, but not enough to overcome me!" he sneered.

* * *

Esebu was by now stunned. They had been played for fools!

"You bastard!" he roared, lunging towards the mecha, his drill revving up to full power.

Beside him, Fumikiri and Nozoma ran, their own weapons held at the ready.

The large machine stood up, using its axe as a crutch. "_You really are fools! My plan was not to stop you, but to keep you distracted! And it has paid off! Now, time to finish you, once and for all!_"

The optical sensor flashed as the mecha's chest began to shift and change, opening up to expose a large missile launcher, a warhead already armed and aimed at them!

Esebu's engine seemed to plummet to the ground as he saw it. "Oh... _kuso..._!" he swore. "That... is not good...!"

And how right he was.

Robotnik cackled as the engine of the missile wound up, flames belching from its rear as the warhead sped out of its launcher, right for the trio of _Shinkalions_. Esebu shouted an order. "_SCATTER!_" he bellowed.

The missile streaked past them... and right for Sanban Industries HQ... only to bypass it as something slammed into it, revealing itself to be the Dragon of Denver!

"Not on my watch!" he bellowed in rage.

However... no one knew that his move exposed the missile to a more tempting target...

And with it, a new threat.

* * *

**The presence sensed something coming. He had no idea as to what it was, but it was drawing closer.**

**The entire area suddenly shook as the strange force slammed into it with enough kinetic energy to shatter the very mountain face above. The seal flickered and held, but the presence could sense that something was happening.**

**He listened.**

**Silence reigned at first...**

**And then he heard it.**

**A faint crack.**

**A trickle of dust... and then _light_. Pure, untarnished sunlight, not like the energy seal and runes that kept him imprisoned for so long.**

**The crackle grew louder as the debris from the kinetic impact sloughed down into the chambers, denting the ancient machinery left behind by the Ancients and their mages to maintain the seal. The first of the old mechanisms finally exploded, and the barrier flickered as the entire system went into overload.**

**Sensing freedom for the first time in over a thousand years, he stretched his muscles. The Dark Substance had kept him from succumbing to muscle atrophy, and he, though he knew it not, was grateful for its abilities and properties.**

**A large eye snapped open, and a bladed hand thrust itself out of the seal...**

**And into the sunlight.**


	27. BADAXTRA

The exterior of Mount Fuji was a magnificent place.

Considered a sacred symbol in Japan, especially ever since the sealing of the Pools of Darkness beneath it, this mountain was the most iconic landmark and natural feature in the country. Standing at an imposing 3776 meters in height, it ranked as the thirty-fifth tallest mountain in the world. Its beautiful, snow-covered top had become the symbol of the country of Japan the world over in popular culture. It was so well-known that several adventure films, including the most well-known _Gundrazer_ film, _Gundrazer Unify_, were filmed there. Thanks to this, tourism to the landmark was bolstered, and, when coupled with the fact Yamanouchi Academy was there, it proved to become well-known enough to have a small town built around the side of the mountain facing Tokyo.

Called Fuji, after the mountain itself, the small town also featured a lookout system and a monitoring station to keep tabs on the seals beneath the surface. No one considered, however, what was to come. One of the men working the station that day was keeping tabs on the battle raging in the city, only to perk up as he heard something incoming. His eyes flicked to the screens lining the observation post as well as the windows, and he caught a glimpse of something coming in fast. He frowned as he raised the binoculars in his hand to his eyes, and he swore his heart plummeted down into his stomach.

A missile was coming in from the direction of the battle...

And heading right for Mount Fuji!

The man dropped his binoculars and scrambled for the alarm button that was placed near the doorway. His hand flew out, just as the missile hit the side of the mountain. The explosion was enough to rock the town, sending people scattering for their homes or the Grimm shelters built underground. While not like the CIS of Tokyo, they were sturdy places, and could survive a number of attacks before one gave way.

The observer glanced up, having been thrown to the floor from the explosion. He lifted his gaze, and his eyes widened in shock at the huge crater in the side of the mountain.

He knew that beneath the mountain was a space that held the pools of the Dark Substance, but due to an even bigger threat, there had been a cavity hollowed out to restrain it. The systems and magicks of the old seals had always functioned perfectly, holding this threat in place.

But now that the surface had been breached...

His horror only grew as a large, bladed hand thrust itself out of that hole...

And for the first time in over one thousand years, the ancient threat of Badaxtra reared its head and roared.

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: BADAXTRA_**

_In the final days of the Emperor Japan was slowly becoming overrun by the Grimm. Despite the Emperor spreading the knowledge and power of Aura the Grimm were without end and continued to spawn in new and more dangerous forms. Realizing that the Pool of Darkness needed to be sealed to save Japan and the rest of the world the Emperor called on the greatest warriors in the world, begging them for aid and many came to offer their help. An army marched on the Pool of Darkness led by the Emperor to the very source of evil he had tried to destroy years ago and in the forest of deadwood they fought for future of the world._

_ Many perished but they all fought bravely and fiercely, pushing through the Grimm guarding the pool and victory seemed near..._

_ But the Grimm and the evil commanding them would not be stopped._

_ Upon their arrival, the Emperor was greeted with the shocking sight of a man, skin as pale as snow with dark markings and eyes matching the eyes of the very creatures they had attempted to destroy. From the Pool of Darkness he summoned a Grimm like no other, one powerful enough that it threatened not only Japan but the rest of the world. From that point forward, the army was massacred by the monstrous Grimm that would be labelled the first Kaiju Class Grimm later and all seemed lost._

_ Until four beings of great power appeared, offering their aid to the Emperor and combined their powers to push the monster back into the pool. The man that had summoned the monster used his power to send pieces of the Pool of Darkness across the world, creating new Pools in new locations and ensuring they would continue to spawn more Grimm. The four magical beings sealed the monster and the Pool of Darkness into a mountain that would remain standing into modern times. They then turned their sights to the man with red eyes and attempted to defeat him, only to fall and the Emperor was mortally wounded by the man who banished the Sword he wielded from our world, never to be seen again._

_ From that point forward, the Grimm would spawn in new locations, most notably the Darklands in the land that would one day become America and with the loss of the Emperor's sword Japan's warriors would suffer a blow to their morality and confidence that would be felt even to this day. The mountain that contains the monster and the Pool of Darkness would be named Mt. Fujiyashyame and the monster would be named Badaxtra by later scientists and historians but would rarely be spoken of due to its dark history._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Symbols of fear can send a jarring message to all." Izumi's eyes were hard as he looked at the images of Badaxtra in ancient times as they were displayed on his monitors. "Symbols can have both good and bad meanings and connotations. But when a symbol of fear long since lost suddenly makes its reappearance? What does that mean for people?"

Here he tented his fingers in front of his mouth. "That was the reason Project SKL was developed: to counter the Kaiju class Grimm. But this... this first conflict between Project SKL and this symbol of fear... it was one that would change the world as we knew it. Maybe not right away, but it was one that altered our hopes."

Izumi lowered one hand and tapped the keyboard, bringing up an image of the _Shinkalions_ as they engaged Badaxtra. "Two symbols... one of hope, and one of fear. Which one will win? Well... that's for you to find out." A smirk played across his lips. "After all, what is a good movie without a cliffhanger before the final battle?"

* * *

**CHAPTER XXVI - BADAXTRA**

The entire battlefield was silent as Robotnik cackled, engaging his thrusters and lifting off.

"_So long, my adversaries! For one day, we shall meet again!_" he laughed.

Esebu roared as he made to jump, but a pair of firm hands on his shoulder guards caught him off guard. He looked back to see Efu and Matagi with their hands on him. Haifu stood not too far from Nozoma and Fumikiri, her sword held off to the side.

"No. We can't fly," Matagi said seriously. "And even if we could, there's no way we could catch him."

The blue and white _Shinkalion_ was glad his three teammates had rejoined them, but he felt so... angered... at how easily Robotnik had played them for fools. He growled as he clenched his fists before he let out a bellow and thrust his drill into the ground, leaving an impact crater behind. His shoulders heaved as he panted. He collapsed to his knees, shaking in fury. "Dammit...! Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" he shouted, punching the ground with his free hand in anger. "I'm such an idiot! He played us for fools! And we fell right into his trap!"

"Esebu..." Haifu felt worried for him as she approached. "We all feel the same. So don't blame yourself for this."

The lead _Shinkalion_ glanced to her.

"She's right," Nozoma said as he approached. "I will admit, I'm not too surprised that we fell for his tricks, seeing as how he is a genius, but don't beat yourself up for this. We all bear the blame."

The others nodded as Esebu looked down, sitting back on his knees as he dismissed his drill into storage. "Yeah. I know I shouldn't be doing that, but I just can't help it sometimes..." he muttered.

However, what else he was about to say was driven from his mind as he suddenly heard a loud roar, and the ground shook beneath them. His helm snapped up, and his gaze landed on a large pillar of smoke...

Coming from the direction of Mount Fuji.

For some reason, Esebu began to get a bad feeling in his gut. A strange sensation filled his chest and he began to shake in his armor. "Oh... shit...!" he whispered.

Matagi glanced over as he saw the smoke and his goggles snapped down over his optics. "_Namahage Goggles - Scope Mode!_" He studied the smoke, and his optics dimmed a shade as he used his scope to zoom in on the smoke. Only to feel his engine leap into his throat at the massive shape as it began to emerge from the side of the mountain. "Oh... fuck...!" he muttered.

"What's going on?" Haifu asked, though she too sounded worried.

"It's... that beast...!" Matagi rasped, his entire frame shaking. "That beast from the legends... But it's... It's real...!"

Haifu's head snapped in the direction Matagi was looking, and she legitimately squeaked in terror as Fumikiri turned to look as well. His hands fell limply to his sides as he staggered back, and Efu was downright frozen in terror. Nozoma was silent, but the way his hands shook indicated he too was terrified.

And for good reason.

They were about to face down the First Kaiju.

* * *

From the top of the mountain first came a giant clawed hand. The fingers were claws while shaped axes. The arm then grabbed onto the side of the mountain and pulled the rest of the body up. The very mountain top was sliced open by a giant ax that turned out to be the very face of the creature itself.

The ax of course was sharp, seemingly made from the creature's very bones and acting as its nostrils. The creature's entire face was shaped like an ax with a rear blade sticking out the back of its head. As befitting a Kaiju class Grimm its entire body was black with red glowing eyes, armed with an axed head and fingers but even its tail had an ax at the end of it and even axed feet that cut their way through the mountain that had been created to contain it. The monster itself was not as big and tall as the very mountain it had rested in, but it was still the largest Kaiju ever recorded, and its teeth were shown to be sharp as spears as it released a deafening roar that shook the entire city and perhaps all of Japan.

This was the guardian of the Pool of Darkness.

The very monster that destroyed entire armies with a flick of its fingers or tail.

This was Badaxtra.

* * *

"There it is."

For Sammael it was a trip down memory lane to see the very first of the Kaiju class Grimm rise again. It was probably his greatest creation even to this day.

"_If Badaxtra is released then the seal around the Pool of Darkness has been broken._" Moloch stated. "_Japan will be overrun._"

"Not yet. Badaxtra was made to protect the Pool of Darkness. Even though it's awakened the Pool itself remains trapped underneath the mountain by special seals placed at the very base of it." Sammael approached the Seer projecting the image of Badaxtra. "Alone Badaxtra follows its basic instincts to kill or destroy anything that moves around the Pool of Darkness. But if it can still hear me..."

He placed his hand on the Seer's crystal ball/head and closed his eyes. '_Badaxtra..._'

* * *

The giant Grimm became still as it heard the voice of its master.

_'Find and destroy the seals at the base of the mountain. Release your brothers back onto the world._'

Badaxtra roared as it climbed out of the mountain and jumped into the air, reaching so high into the sky until it began to fall back down. It landed back on the ground in front of the mountain, causing an earthquake that shook Tokyo and caused more than one building to collapse while the earthquake was felt across the island.

* * *

The entire city rumbled, and the _Shinkalions_ staggered to keep themselves standing.

Esebu glanced up, and his engine ceased to function briefly as he saw just how _tall_ this beast was.

Legends didn't even do it justice.

This Grimm was the ultimate symbol of terror. Created one thousand years ago, and kept contained only by the mountain itself, Badaxtra was the ultimate in terms of Kaiju. Strong, fast, unbeatable... or so the legends said. At least to the public. As far as he knew, only the Imperial Family archives had data on this thing, and it was exceedingly difficult to even get access to them because of the high security clearance required. Only Class V Hunters and heroes had the clearance to access it.

The leader actually felt himself shaking in his armor at the sight.

"Oh, Glob... We're so screwed..." he whispered. "There's _no way_ the CIS can contain that thing...!"

Badaxtra let out another roar as it started to walk around the base of the mountain, and Esebu's engine sank to his feet at the thought as it started to look for something... Something...

"It's... It's going to break the seals!" he gasped.

"_Oh, shit...! That's bad! That's very bad!_" Hokuto cut in, his voice filled with pure terror. "_You kids have to get there and fast! Stop Badaxtra from releasing those seals at all costs!_"

"And how do you expect us to get there?!" Efu shot back. "We'll need to use the Rails of Light, and-"

"_I'm fully aware of that!_" the director said. "_I've got Futaba working on it, but you have to move! And now!_"

"_Hai!_" the six replied.

Esebu turned and ran from the square in front of Sanban Industries, heading for the tracks that ran right by the building. With a single thought, he shifted back into his _shinkansen_ form and engaged his engine as soon as his wheels touched the rails. He extended his pantograph to the overhead catenary. As soon as it touched the wires, he felt the power surging into his frame and he pushed all that power into his wheels, feeling them move as he drew on as much power as he could muster. His mind was racing as he realized just what was at stake here. And for the first time since the project's conception, he felt pure terror.

Behind him he could sense his friends tailing him on the same lines, drawing on their power.

Fumikiri's voice echoed over his COMM system. "_D-Do you really think we have a chance, guys?_" he asked nervously.

"_In all honesty... I don't even know..._" Esebu admitted. "_This is the first time it's been seen in over one thousand years... So much has changed, and yet so little has not... So... how can we expect to win if we lack the Emperor's Sword?_"

"_Then we just keep trying!_" Efu remarked. "_If there's one thing I'm not going to do, it's back down when we're faced with something like this! After all... this was developed for such a purpose, right? To hold the line against the Kaiju? And Badaxtra is a Kaiju, right? So we just take it down like any other!_"

"_No!_" Nozoma cut in. "_This is the FIRST Kaiju that Sammael ever created! And this thing is supposed to be hard to defeat! Not even the Imperial Family archives have real data on this thing, since it's been so long since it was last seen!_"

Esebu began to realize that Nozoma was right.

What little data they had was outdated, making it useless in the fight.

They were going to have to learn on the fly.

"_Better get ready!_" Hokuto said, drawing them out of their musings. "_The next track switch we'll send you onto the Rails of Light! From there it's a straight shot to the mountain!_"

"_Understood!_" the six replied.

The track ahead began to glow as the Rails of Light kicked in, expanding out from where the track switch lay. The switch activated and the rail connected to the Rails of Light, opening a direct route to the mountain and its guardian.

Esebu shifted over onto the track first, disconnecting his pantograph and switching over to battery power. He gunned his engine to full, his very frame shaking as he drove himself to his limits.

Off to his side, he could see the others on their own Rails of Light, becoming several multicolored bullets as they streaked towards their target.

"_How long will it take for us to reach Mount Fuji?!_" Haifu shouted.

"_It will take about one hour to get there,_" Futaba explained.

"_I thought it would take shorter, given how we're on a direct line!_" Nozoma exclaimed.

"_Not really,_" Futaba said sheepishly. "_Given your speeds, it should take less time, but given how we have to avoid buildings and whatnot on the path, it'll take longer._"

Esebu knew what she was getting at. Even a direct run to the mountain would take longer given the buildings in their path. The Rails of Light did have their limits, after all. And no train station had been built near the mountain. That was an issue, he hoped, would be corrected after this incident.

If they succeeded.

_If_.

That was the key word.

All in all, Esebu hoped to Glob or whatever god was up there they'd get to the mountain in time to prevent Badaxtra from destroying the seals.

Though that did bring a thought to mind.

"_Director, how many seals are there to keep the Grimm Pools sealed?_" Esebu asked, startling him.

He sputtered for a bit before he regained his composure. "_There are ten seals in total, plus the eleventh, which acted to keep Badaxtra sealed within the mountain itself. That seal was broken with Robotnik's missile. The others are scattered around the base of the mountain, including one at Yamanouchi Academy._"

Now Esebu was beginning to get an idea of what had to be done. But he needed more intel first. "_Can ya tell me a bit about these things?!_" he asked.

"_Truthfully, no one knows exactly how they work because they were created so long ago. But what few records that survive from that time period state that they were crafted using the most advanced magic, spells, technology, and alchemic runes available,_" Hokuto explained. "_What is also known is that the seals will, if left unbroken, will last indefinitely as they use magic long since lost, and the spells can recharge what tech they have to keep the seals in place._"

"_So like runes engraved on metal, etc,_" Esebu noted.

"_Yes. The ten seals are supposed to correspond with the locations of the planets on a specific day, but since the sealing, that has been forgotten,_" the director continued. "_The seals are usually at their strongest during this time. But if even one is broken... it could mean the end for all of us._"

The grim tone of his voice sent shivers racing through Esebu's frame.

"_That means the seals will be weakened..._" Esebu realized.

"_Yes. According to the records, the seals can be maintained as long as at least half still remain intact,_" Hokuto stated. "_If more than half are broken..._"

Images of the end of days flashed through Esebu's processor. Images of destroyed homes, buildings, cars, trucks, trains... Grimm running rampant... people dying... and above it all, Sammael, sneering as he held his hands around a chaos-filled world.

Esebu was so scared he yelped and jolted on the tracks, almost derailing himself if he didn't catch himself in time. He managed to stay on the tracks, but his engine was racing big time as he gasped a few times to calm himself down. "Geez...!"

"_Be careful!_" Matagi called. "_We can't afford a derailing here!_"

"H-Hai!" Esebu responded.

"_So, to put it simply, we have to keep Badaxtra from releasing all ten seals,_" Nozoma noted.

"Hai._ That is your mission._" Director Hayasugi's voice was grave as he continued. "_So no more idle chatter. Just get out there!_"

The COMM closed down and the six _Shinkalions_ put their minds to the mission at hand.

* * *

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

* * *

Dracon was, to say the least, terrified out of his wits.

Not because he was facing down Badaxtra. No, that was the _Shinkalions_ doing it.

He was terrified because of the Kaiju's sheer size.

It was huge.

Much bigger than anything he had seen.

Even his arsenal would do little against it.

Beside him hovered Seph, his silvery eyes narrowed. "So... been ages since I've seen that thing," he mused.

"Wait. You saw it before?!" Dracon blurted, his helm whipping to face the hybrid.

Seph nodded. "Yeah. And trust me, it was _not_ easy to seal that thing away," he growled, clenching his fists. "Even I know better than to tangle with the First Kaiju."

"I thought you would've helped!" the Gundam growled, his optics flaring.

The Gem hybrid snorted. "And risk dying because of how deadly that Dark Substance is to me? Hardly worth the risk, wouldn't you agree?"

Dracon clenched his own fists, but ignored the jab. "Well, care to tell me what this thing is capable of?" he asked. "I need info if I'm gonna go and help those mecha...whatever they are!"

Seph was surprised, but brushed it off as he sighed. "All right. Fine. I'll tell ya what you need to know to stand a chance against that thing..."

* * *

**MOUNT FUJI SEAL SITE 1**

* * *

Badaxtra's red eyes flared as it eyed the first seal.

The Seal of Neptune.

The least powerful, it still was a critical part as it served as the end component of the main seal itself. The kanji depicting the word stood out on a central pillar that stuck up near the spot where Badaxtra had emerged. The pillar glowed with a brilliant violet light, shining like a beacon. The massive Grimm roared as it stomped its way over to the seal, one foot raised to smash the beacon. However, as it brought that foot down, the pillar lit up and energy barricades were thrown up over it, stopping the Kaiju's foot cold. Badaxtra roared as it drew back its head and swung down, its bone-blade crashing headlong into the barriers. They shimmered and strained against the Kaiju's immense strength, drawing on what technology still remained functional. The energy barriers flickered as Badaxtra started to smash its axe blades against them repeatedly, trying to shatter them. Its purpose burned in its mind, giving reason for its attacks. It knew not why it had to attack, just that it had to. It wished to please its master. And please him it would. Badaxtra roared before slamming its head down one more time, this time penetrating those pesky barricades. The blade drove itself home into the pillar, shearing it in two.

And then it exploded.

And alarms began to blare within the city of Tokyo itself.

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**COMMAND CENTER**

* * *

All across the city, alarms and sirens began to wail as an ancient computerized voice began to ring out.

"_ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS OF JAPAN AND SURROUNDING TERRITORIES! THE FIRST SEAL HAS BEEN BROKEN. APOCALYPSE MEASURES ARE TO NOW BE IMPLEMENTED._"

To say that people were shocked was a misstatement.

They were downright _horrified_.

Panic set in at once as the huge beast stood over the mountain, roaring and then came a flash as the first seal was broken. The city's police were mobilized to try and quell any rioters as the looting began. Military forces were deployed as well, not just to try and curtail the rioting and panic, but also to defend against any Grimm that sensed the negative emotions.

Soldiers and civilians alike sometimes even banded together to contain and detain the crazies. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

But for those within the SDI, things were much more bleak.

They were observing this in real time data from their satellite.

Hokuto's eyes were wide as he stared in shock at the violet light that exploded. "Oh...fuck...!" he murmured. "That thing is breaking the seals!"

"The first seal has been broken!" Futaba cried. "Target is now moving onto the Seal of Uranus!"

"How far out are the kids?!" the director shouted.

"About thirty minutes!" she responded. Her eyes flicked over to the image of the mountain as it showed the last nine seals activated. The gleaming lights were starting to shine brighter as their defenses kicked in, and she could only hope that the seals would hold long enough for the team to get there in time.

"Sir... this thing... It easily broke the first seal...how long can we expect the others to hold?" Honjo asked worriedly.

Hokuto's eyes narrowed as he gulped a bit. "Honestly... I don't know," he admitted. "It's hard to say..."

Shashot, who had until now been silent, finally took the chance to interject. "_If I may, Director, the reason that the first seal was broken so easily was because its defenses hadn't had a chance to fully register Badaxtra's release,_" he said.

Director Hayasugi glanced to the AI's virtual image. "And now that it has been?" he asked.

"_According to the old legends within the Imperial Family archives, Badaxtra's seal was supposed to trigger the others to full power if he were to be released somehow. But seeing as how they hadn't, it can only be due to how much time has passed,_" Shashot began. "_The legends also say that whenever a seal is broken, then the others will have their defenses triggered. Each seal supposedly has ten layers total, so if any of the others are broken, then those defenses will be activated. Each is supposed to be more powerful than the last, so... it could buy us some time until the team gets there._"

"How about alternatives?!" a technician shouted to the AI.

Here Shashot's eyes darkened. "_There are no other alternatives, unless you count that Kaiju running rampant and smashing the seals,_" he retorted.

The techie fell silent as he considered the implications. "Oh..."

Hokuto looked to the AI. "Get in touch with the team and inform them of the defenses around each seal!" he ordered.

"Hai!" Shashot responded.

* * *

**EN ROUTE TO MOUNT FUJI**

* * *

Esebu was startled when Shashot's voice echoed over his COMM. "What?!" he snarled.

"_Esebu, it's Shashot. Badaxtra has currently begun breaking the seals around the mountain to try and release the Grimm from the primary Pool of Darkness!_" Shashot reported.

"Oh, shit! We gotta kick it into overdrive!" he cried.

"_Rest assured, there is a way to stall him long enough for you to arrive on scene!_" Shashot interrupted.

"How so?!" Esebu asked as he started to push more power to his wheels.

"_Each seal, when broken, triggers an extra layer of defense around the intact seals. So if one is broken, then a second layer is activated. The second seal triggers a third layer, etc. And each one is stronger than the last,_" Shashot explained.

"And how long do you expect them to last against that thing's strength?!" Esebu cried.

Before Shashot could answer, however, a loud roar caught their attention and his gaze snapped up towards Badaxtra as it staggered back, using one hand to shield itself from what appeared to be...

_Gunfire!_

"Gunfire?!" Matagi shouted. "But how?!"

"_It seems the second layer of defense has been triggered,_" Shashot said, with a faint trace of a grim tone in his voice. The sound of it sent shivers down Esebu's frame, but he ignored it.

***BGM "The Breach" Pacific Rim Soundtrack***

"And that's bad?" he asked.

"_Negative. It's a good thing,_" Shashot explained. "_That means that each set of defenses will buy you time to get there._"

Esebu didn't know whether to be pleased or terrified. He decided to ignore that and focus on the matter at hand.

Already he could see the flashes of gunfire coming closer as the six _Shinkalions_ sped towards the site of the second seal.

The gunfire was, he could now see, coming from guns laced with glowing cyan lines. The shells struck Badaxtra's huge body, making little to no impact, but they were slowing it down somewhat. At least the sheer rate of fire was. For now, anyway. Cyan energy barriers shimmered into view as Badaxtra stormed towards the seal's gleaming central pillar, its light shining a gorgeous cyan color. The barriers flashed as they finished forming, and Badaxtra roared, swinging its bladed tail towards the closest guns. The turrets took the hit, but they were severely damaged. A few others turned to face the spot, and opened fire. Badaxtra swung again, this time severing the first two with ease. The severed turrets flew through the air and collided with two others, causing them to explode. Now there was a noticeable gap in the defensed. Badaxtra's eyes flashed red as it leaned forward, its bone-blade smashing into the barriers again and again.

The whole time, Esebu was in shock.

"NO!" he cried.

"_Sir, the second seal is about to be breached!_" Futaba shouted over the COMM line to Hokuto.

"_Dammit! Any way we can get the kids there faster?!_" the director roared.

"_I'm working on it!_" she exclaimed. "_But it's not easy! The Rails of Light can only extend so fast!_"

The _Shinkalion_ leader could only watch in horror as the second seal was finally broken.

* * *

**TOKYO, JAPAN**

* * *

"So that's it," Seph finished.

"Hmm." Dracon crossed his arms as he eyed the massive beast. "I see..."

"Well, while you two were chitchatting, that thing already broke two seals," Lobomon said as he glared at them.

"And how do you know that?" Seph asked, narrowing his eyes.

"The alarm," the Warrior of Light replied, jerking a thumb to the sirens wailing.

Seph's silver eyes widened. "Oh, Glob..." he whispered. "I hadn't considered _that_..."

Dracon didn't even hesitate as he flared his wings wide open. "That's it! I'm going!" he shouted, kicking on his thrusters to full power. He was gone in a flash, his cloak whipping about his frame as he hefted his beam magnum in his hands. His psychoframe began to shine with power, engulfing him in its pseudo-Aura-like glow. At this stage of the game, he could've cared less if Seph and Lobomon were to follow. All that mattered to him was bringing this thing down, or at least stopping it long enough for the _Shinkalions_ to arrive on the scene.

His optics shifted from their usual violet hue to a cool emerald green color, flaring brightly as he drew closer to Badaxtra's location.

He spotted the large Kaiju, and, thinking fast, aimed his beam magnum and fired.

Right for one of Badaxtra's massive red eyes.

* * *

**DARKLANDS**

**SAMMAEL'S CASTLE**

* * *

Sammael sneered as he watched the second seal collapse under the attack. "So much time and effort put into those barriers, and so little effort is needed to break them. How foolish the Emperor was..." he purred.

Beside him, I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. was studying the First Kaiju intently, his processor already working to craft an even better version should the First Kaiju fall. But something told him that this Kaiju was not going to be taken down that easily. He only narrowed his optics.

"Too easy, if you ask me," he rumbled.

Moloch scoffed from the shadows. "_Everything has to degrade, no matter how much effort, spells, and whatnot are put into those defenses,_" he mused. "_It only goes to show the effect time has on everything... even the best of machines and magic and alchemy are not immune to its passing._"

And he was right.

A soft dark chuckle escaped him. "_And it seems we have a little insect buzzing around..._" he noted. Sammael turned his gaze to fix on the small greenish-white lightning bug as it buzzed around Badaxtra's head. The large Kaiju reached up to try and swat at it as it released a small sting for one of its eyes. The sting missed, and the Fallen had to actually laugh at the effort.

"Seems like the Dragon is going for too big a snack," he purred.

I.O.N.E.S.C.O.U. merely narrowed his optics as they flashed red. He personally knew that Dracon was a stubborn mecha, and that he wouldn't give up, no matter how hard things seemed. It was in his nature.

And he had a feeling that Dracon was studying Badaxtra for any weaknesses.

Much like a certain group that was on their way right now...

* * *

**MOUNT FUJI SEAL SITE 3**

* * *

The third seal lay in sight.

The second seal lay smoldering, much like the first, its pillar tower smashed to bits.

Badaxtra roared as it swung its bladed tail for the seal's edges, intent on breaking through the barriers.

However, what it did not expect this time was for a pulse of energy to erupt from contact with the barriers. The pulse was enough to throw Badaxtra back, making it stagger under the attack. It flinched before it looked up, roaring as it charged at the barriers around the third seal: the Seal of Saturn.

The Seal of Saturn glowed a brilliant silver color, much like that of ancient magic used during the Forgotten Age. Badaxtra roared as it charged at the seal, its axe face lowered to take the pulses of energy as they were released from the seal. Its red eyes flared as the pulses hit its axe blade, being cleaved in two so they streaked off to the sides. Some impacted the side of the mountain, others struck the grounds closer to Tokyo's outermost suburbs, prompting more evacuation orders to be issued. But it cared not for that. All it wished to do was free its brethren.

The beast's blade began to show its strength as the energy pulses got weaker and weaker. Its right foot raised, about to stomp on the seal's barriers, only for those guns to come online and fire at it. The shells impacted Badaxrta's hide, peppering it with armor piercing rounds. The explosive tips caused burns to form on Badaxtra's body, but they started to heal shortly thereafter, even as it was forced back under the barrage of gunfire.

As the Kaiju drew nearer, however, things were about to take a surprising turn...

But as to which side... no one really knew...

Yet.

* * *

_**KAIJU GRIMM DATABASE - ENTRY LOGGED**_

**NAME: Badaxtra**

**SPECIES: Kaiju**

**CLASS: UNKNOWN**

**BASIS: UNKNOWN**

**ABILITIES: Badaxtra has several abilities that make it far more deadly than any Kaiju Grimm recorded in the database to date. It has the ability to regenerate from its wounds, it is very fast, strong, and well armed with physical blades attached to its very body. Its blades are as hard as concrete, and can penetrate through most energy and physical barriers. Only barriers generated by psychoframe energy can block the blades. Badaxtra can also, through its sheer weight alone, generate earthquakes when landing after a jump. Due to its sheer size and strength, no warrior has been known to survive or even take it down. All that could be done was seal it. It's also rumored that Badaxtra has the power to breathe fire, or even use eye lasers. But according to all records in the Imperial Family archives, not one instance of those two powers has been displayed. But for all we know... they could be true... Badaxtra has shown no real weaknesses, making it the ultimate symbol of fear and terror.**


	28. SEALS

The Seal of Saturn was finished.

Badaxtra roared as it slammed its axe-blade hands together before making its way to the Seal of Jupiter, its defenses glowing brightly as they came online.

Its red eyes flashed as it opened its mouth and let out another roar, this time aiming it directly for the barriers as they formed around the pillar's tower. The orange energy shielding shimmered, but unlike the last three seals, this one was much tougher. The last line of defense before the primary seals were revealed.

Badaxtra's eyes hardened as it snarled, lowering its head and pawing the ground with one of its feet like a bull, or a bull Faunus. Then the beast charged, but only for a barrage of gunfire to slam into its path. The shots from the guns of the defenses made it back off; these were much more potent, laced with lightning Dust or lightning magic. It was hard for Badaxtra to tell between the two.

The First Kaiju snorted before stomping the ground and crouching. Perhaps an earthquake could do these defenses in...

Without a moment's hesitation, Badaxtra launched itself into the air, spinning its body around before bringing its bladed tail down full force... right for the ground beneath! The tip drove itself into the ground, causing an earthquake that registered a 6.5 on the Richter scale. A few more of Tokyo's buildings wavered while two collapsed. Thankfully, Tokyo Station was heavily guarded against such things.

A crack snaked its way across the ground towards the seal, inching under a few of its barriers, but being stopped cold by others. The barricades erected were holding.

Badaxtra growled in anger before it landed, surprisingly gently, using its tail to slow its landing. The Kaiju pulled its tail free and started to circle the seal, intent on breaching it.

Only for a barrage of gunfire - not from the defenses - to lay waste to the ground in front of it.

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: SEALS OF MOUNT FUJI_**

_The Seals of Mount Fuji are eleven sacred barriers that are used to contain the First Kaiju Grimm and to keep the Pool of Darkness from being released._

_The seals have been around since the Time of Awakening, but the technology used to enact the seals was derived from the Forgotten Age. Legend has it that in addition to the sealing of the Pool and Badaxtra by the Emperor and his mightiest warriors, a wandering mage who only went by the name Yen contributed much knowledge and power to the ritual needed to seal both away for good. Of course, no one can confirm this due to records of the time being sketchy and unreliable._

_Each Seal is tied to a specific planet in the solar system, including the sun itself._

_The Seals are as follows:_

_The Seal of Pluto - used to seal Badaxtra within the top of the mountain_

_The Seal of Neptune_

_The Seal of Uranus_

_The Seal of Saturn_

_The Seal of Jupiter_

_The Seal of Mars_

_The Seal of Earth_

_The Seal of the Moon_

_The Seal of Venus_

_The Seal of Mercury_

_And the Seal of the Sun, which is the primary seal to keep the Pool of Darkness sealed away forever._

_Each Seal has ten layers of defense, each stronger than the last, should one seal be broken. Of course, no one ever considered that possible..._

_Until now._

**_OPENING FILES: RAIL CROSS IMPACT_**

_A combination attack created by Efu, Matagi, and Esebu. The Rail Cross Impact combines the power of the Gran Cross with the accuracy of the Fumikiri Barrage and the penetration of the Wheelset Driver, allowing for it to do massive damage to a typical Kaiju Grimm. However, it does have its weaknesses, mainly in that it can be stopped with soft, sticky substances like glue._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"When it comes to defenses, one must always remember a saying: sometimes a good defense, is the best offense. So, in reality, it could mean two things," Izumi noted as he leaned back in his chair as he observed the fight. "Right now, Team Shinkalion is fighting against Badaxtra, and they have to go on the offense if they wish to defend the seals. But what if they go on the defense? Well... that's tricky. Because they are doing both right now."

His eyes narrowed as he watched the six _Shinkalions_ let loose on the First Kaiju. "And sometimes the best defense _is_ the best offense. Because that could change how a battle, or even a war, goes entirely."

* * *

**CHAPTER XXVII - SEALS**

***BGM: "Pacific Rim" - Pacific Rim Soundtrack***

Matagi growled as he stood atop one of the Rails of Light, using it as a platform from which to rain gunfire down onto Badaxtra.

His guns barked repeatedly, sending shells laced with explosive Dust onto the ground before the First Kaiju.

In the air, he could see the greenish-white light that was Dracon as he swooped around Badaxtra's massive face, trying to hit its eyes with his beam magnum or his beam burst gun. He had to admit the Gundam had guts to go face-to-face with Badaxtra the way he was. The smaller mecha was proving to be extremely agile compared to Badaxtra's larger mass. But, as he very well knew now, it wasn't wise to underestimate his adversaries. For all he knew, Badaxtra could have fast reflexes, fast enough to catch a quick-moving target like Dracon.

The red and white _Shinkalion's_ musings were interrupted when he heard Badaxtra roar and swing a bladed fist in his direction as Dracon flitted past!

Matagi tensed his frame and leapt off the Rail of Light as that massive fist slammed into it, breaking it and causing the energy track to vanish in sparkling shards. He snarled as he flipped, landing atop one of the massive stones that surrounded the Seal of Jupiter.

His optics hardened as he aimed his guns and let loose with another barrage, this time peppering Badaxtra's thickly armored back. While the explosions didn't do much damage, they did catch its attention. The First Kaiju looked around, its red eyes finally landing on the smaller _Shinkalion_, and it sneered as it raised a foot to try and stomp him into the ground. Matagi reacted by springing off, landing on the ground and rolling to a safe distance away from the seal as he aimed his guns and fired again, this time inching his way up towards Badaxtra's mouth.

The First Kaiju just let out low roars in the form of a chuckle before it narrowed its red eyes and they started to glow brightly...

Only for Matagi to get grabbed by Fumikiri as he landed on the ground. His hand lashed out and snatched Matagi's left arm before he released a hand signal and a thick cover of smoke blinded Matagi as well as Badaxtra. Matagi felt himself jerk as Fumikiri's grip tightened on his arm and then he was weightless briefly. The sensation of weightlessness in his lower torso was an indicator that he was airborne. Then the two were out of the smoke cloud, Fumikiri having used his grappling lines to haul the two to safety further up the mountainside.

The two _Shinkalions_ looked down as Badaxtra poked its head out of the smoke, those red eyes pulsing before finding its prey on the side of the mountain.

"Great! We just _had_ to attract its attention, didn't we?!" Matagi muttered.

"It's better us than the seal, Matagi!" Fumikiri shot back. "After all, we have to keep this thing from breaking them! And with three down, we have seven to keep up!"

He had to admit the purple and white ninja _Shinkalion_ had a good point. It was all up to them at this point to keep the seals active... or at least to try and drive off Badaxtra.

However, their efforts were to be in vain, as while they had attracted the beast's attention, its purpose still burned in its head. And this time, it was about to show these insects why it was to never be underestimated in the intellect department.

Badaxtra reached behind it, and its bladed fist curled around a nearby boulder as big as a house, pulling it free from the ground and hefting it much like a baseball. Badaxtra drew back its fist, holding the 'ball' in its hand before it sneered and whipped that boulder right for the duo! Matagi gasped as Fumikiri let out an audible squeak of terror. The two mechs dove off the mountainside, leaping for another energy track as it formed alongside them, with Esebu riding it in his _shinkansen_ form. "Get on!" he cried.

The two _Shinkalions_ landed on the track as Esebu sped away from the area just as the boulder struck the side of the mountain, the impact dislodging a few dozen rocks that began to go cascading down the side of Mount Fuji...

And right towards the seal!

"NO!" Matagi shouted.

"I got this!" came Nozoma's voice.

He leapt off his Rail of Light, and his optics flared as he thrust one hand out, seething in his Aura. The blow collided with one of the rocks, shattering it. Then he was on the move, delivering more punches and several kicks to the boulders as they fell. While he was fast, he just wasn't able to get a lot of them. That was when Esebu shifted to his own _Shinkalion_ form, his drill appearing in his hand in a flash of light as he thrust it forward, hitting one of the boulders and drilling it to bits. He sprang towards another and proceeded to do the same thing. But even with his help, it wasn't enough...

Or at least until a barrage of silvery feathers lanced out from the air, striking the rest of the boulders and causing them to explode. Matagi's gaze snapped towards the silvery-winged man known as Seph as he came soaring in, holding onto what appeared to be that white armored man from before!

"Thought you could use a bit of backup!" Seph remarked as he dropped off his passenger.

"About time!" Dracon retorted as he flew down, his fin funnels deployed around his frame. "I was kinda worried we'd have to face this thing alone!"

"Hey! Don't forget me!" Dani's voice exclaimed as she appeared out of thin air, becoming tangible right before their eyes and optics. "I couldn't sit back while this thing ran rampant and destroyed the seals!"

Matagi watched as Nozoma and Esebu rejoined them, followed by Haifu, Efu, and Fumikiri.

"Well...looks like we got everyone here," Esebu said as he shouldered his drill. "Now we just need a way to defeat this thing..."

But it was to be a lot easier said than done...

Especially given what it was about to unleash upon them all...

Badaxtra opened its mouth... and then a blast of pure energy was unleashed from its maw right for the assembled fighters!

Dracon reacted surprisingly fast, holding out both hands as he deployed his fin funnels in front of him, summoning forth his beam shield just as the blast of energy struck it. His psychoframe shimmered with pure power as he grunted, straining against said energy blast. "Now would be a good time to counterattack!" he grunted.

Seph nodded and flew out from behind the shield, snapping his wings wide open and calling forth a slew of explosive feathers. With a mighty flap and a battle cry, he sent them flying right for Badaxtra's face. The Kaiju snapped its glowing red eyes towards the hybrid and that bladed tail whipped up to block the feathers. However, Seph wasn't done yet. He raised a hand, seething with pure silvery-green energy, and swiped, unleashing a shockwave that rocketed towards the Kaiju's tail. He was clearly intent on trying to shear off that blade, Esebu noted, spotting the sharpened edge of the shockwave. The First Kaiju, however, lowered its tail swiftly, and it raised its foot, lashing out in a sweep kick that shattered the shockwave. Seph's eyes went wide as he was forced to dodge the upward kick by flipping and weaving back.

He panted as he came to a hover, his eyes hard like steel. "Dammit! This thing is not the normal Kaiju!" he growled.

Badaxtra finally bit down, canceling the beam coming from its mouth. The beam terminated, unleashing an explosion that released a pressure wave right for Dracon's shield. His psychoframe began to shine in a brilliant manner, and his cloak waved behind him as the glow engulfed him in its pseudo-Aura. He was now visibly straining, his very arms shaking as he struggled to keep the shield up. He growled as he pushed all his thrusters to their limits.

Dani seized her own chance to go on the offense, flying over the shield and releasing a barrage of ghost rays that struck Badaxtra's snout. One of them struck a little too close to its left eye and it roared as it threw up its arms to defend itself from the onslaught. It withdrew under the attack before it retreated around the mountain, and Lobomon sensed this coming. "It's coming around the other side!" he cried, his head snapping up to look in that direction. His red eyes hardened as he drew his beam sabers, only to look down at them. In actuality, it seemed rather laughable in hindsight. Here he was, a mere Digimon, struggling to assist two of the strongest warriors, a half-ghost child, and six alien mecha against a beast the size of a friggin' _mountain_, and he was using beam sabers against this thing! Beam sabers! They weren't going to do anything against this beast.

He needed something more... something much more powerful than his current arsenal.

He needed his Beast Spirit.

And now.

He gritted his teeth, realizing that he still needed to access it. But the question was... how?

A scream came from Dani as Badaxtra circled around the mountain, approaching the seal from behind them. Its eyes flared red before it grasped one of the turrets, pulling it free from its underground mounting and hurling it right for them!

Lobomon's eyes widened and he reacted on sheer instinct, running forward, and then...

He felt it.

A sheer... _primal_ kind of power.

One he knew all too well.

The Warrior of Light grasped it and called upon it, embracing it with familiarity. He leapt into the air, fractal coding swirling around his body as he shifted from Human to Beast Spirit. He felt the changes overcoming him, his body becoming more lupine and his armor becoming part of him. Within mere seconds, his evolution was complete, and the fractal code shattered, revealing him in his Beast Spirit. "_KendoGarurumon!_"

He landed on all four paws and looked up, his eyes flashing in the light from the seal's pillar tower.

KendoGarurumon crouched, and calling upon his strength, willed the wheels on the sides of his feet to activate. Seconds later he was speeding along the ground, the metallic wings on his back snapping open as he prepared to strike.

A glowing aura of light began to surround his body as he launched himself off the ground, right for Badaxtra's stomach.

To Esebu, it was like watching a meteor of sorts hit the First Kaiju in the stomach, making its eyes widen as it staggered back, or was rather pushed back by the impact of the beast-like warrior. His optics flickered a little as he tried to figure out what Badaxtra's next move would be, only to look up as he heard Dracon let loose a cluster of colorful swears.

His engine leapt into his throat as he watched Badaxtra reach for the seal's pillar tower as it fell from being pushed back...

And it grasped it in one hand to try and catch its fall.

"NO!" he roared.

Badaxtra stopped its fall, and glared at the tower before a sneer crossed its face.

"DAMMIT!" Matagi swore as he aimed his guns at the Kaiju's massive hand. Fumikiri summoned his shuriken and threw them at the wrist while Haifu and Nozoma launched themselves at the Kaiju's arm. Their energy blades and sword flashed as they cut into Badaxtra's tough flesh, drawing the Dark Substance to the surface. Given its regeneration though, it was close to useless.

Esebu felt a sinking feeling filling his gut at this.

Were they really going to lose...?

Efu felt so useless as he watched his friends, Seph, Dracon, the wolf-like warrior, and Dani fought to try and prevent Badaxtra from breaking the seal. The monster's huge hand began to squeeze, slowly but surely.

If the Seal of Jupiter was broken...

He clenched his fists as he summoned his own sword to his hand. '_Screw this!_' he thought. '_I'm not gonna hold back!_'

* * *

**TOKYO SDI HEADQUARTERS**

**COMMAND CENTER**

* * *

The entire place was filled with terror and panic.

Alarms were blaring in the background.

Already some of the staff were beginning to panic as they witnessed Badaxtra break the first three seals with apparent ease. Only now were the defenses starting to kick in, but the Seal of Jupiter was about to be broken unless something was done.

Hokuto watched in worry as the attacks of the team and their allies struck Badaxtra's thick wrist, trying to get it to release the seal's pillar tower. But due to the Kaiju's regeneration, it seemed like it wasn't even going to work.

"...have to leave!" a voice came from not too far off, interrupting the directors thoughts.

He winced as he heard Futaba shout to the frightened man. "We can't! Not when everything is on the line here!" she yelled back.

"That thing will break those seals and _kill_ the kids! Do you want to be a _murderer!?_" the man roared.

Screams and shouts erupted amongst the staff as the words struck Futaba in the heart. Some people began to shout, insulting him and calling him a bully, a thug, etc. while others were yelling and saying that it was time to leave and evacuate. It was devolving from a well-oiled machine into a free-for-all. And Hokuto wasn't about to let it go on.

He gritted his teeth and got to his feet, his fists clenching.

"**_EEEEENNNNNOOOOOUUUUGGGGHHHH!_**" he roared, startling everyone and making them wince or clap their hands over their ears.

The screaming and shouting died down, leaving the entire command center in silence, broken only by the alarms wailing in the distance.

Hokuto stood in front of them all, his chest heaving as his eyes took on an icy blue tint. His fists were clenched as he stood up straight, facing the entire team. "Look! I know we are panicked and you do have every right to be! But in this kind of situation, what other choice do we have?!" Here he gestured to the six _Shinkalions_ displayed on the main monitor as they clashed. "Those kids are risking their very lives to try and stop this thing! And if we quit, then how will they continue to fight?! We are the only ones who can repair those frames, give them upgrades, and ensure that the cover story is upheld! And we are the only ones who currently stand between the people of Tokyo and any Kaiju that may surface in the aftermath of this attack! So if you want to quit, then go ahead. I won't stop you."

People paused, looking at one another before he continued. "Truthfully, I wish I didn't have to be here right now, but I am. Why? Because I was the one who developed and made this project reality. I want to see it through to the very end. My son is involved, and he is fighting to save our city, and possibly Japan and the world right now! And trust me: if those seals go, then the whole world will be facing the Apocalypse! Do any of you want that on your conscience?! If you do, then you'll be no better than Hitler, than Stalin, hell, no better than even _Sammael himself!_ Do you want to be lumped together with such a Fallen, or do you want to be on the side of those who have helped bring down a potent symbol of terror?!"

A few people hesitated as they started to make for the door, and Hokuto seized his chance. He pointed to the monitor now showing the Dragon of Denver, Seph, and Esebu as they attacked the closest finger, finally managing to pry one off the seal's pillar tower. "Look out there right now, and tell me if it's hopeless. Those kids volunteered to take this risk and save this country and world! We can do the same thing, but only if we continue to support them and cheer them on!"

The screen flickered to show Matagi powering up his Fumikiri Cannon and unleashing another attack, this time striking Badaxtra in the cheek and making it let go of the pillar tower, now sporting cracks and sparking here and there. Badaxtra reached out to grab the smaller _Shinkalion_, but Matagi engaged his wheels and sped to the left as that massive hand slammed into the earth, leaving a huge handprint behind.

"So I'm begging you... all of you, to stay with me! Because right now, those kids are the only ones who can do this! Those kids are the ones fighting to save our future! A future we can all believe in! This project...is to become a beacon of hope! A symbol dedicated to showing Sammael that we won't let him win! That we can, and _will_, fight to save the world! Because today is that day! The day we stand up as one and say to him "NO!" loud and clear! Today... Today, we are canceling the Apocalypse! WHO'S WITH ME!?" Hokuto thrust his hand into the air as people began to cheer.

And at the same time, the battle began to turn in the favor of the kids and their allies.

* * *

**MOUNT FUJI SEAL SITE 4**

* * *

***BGM: "Dare" - Stan Bush: Change the World***

Matagi's second attack struck Badaxtra's cheek and the huge Kaiju staggered back, rubbing it with one hand before it looked up, its eyes flaring red.

The red and white _Shinkalion_ vaulted over some debris from the fight and landed on the ground as Badaxtra swung with its other hand, trying to swat him into the side of the mountain.

He reached out as Fumikiri leapt past, grabbing him and pulling him out of the way of the swing. He felt its clawed fingertips pass mere inches from his leg armor and he shivered a bit at what the implications could've been. Matagi forced it from his mind however as he and his companion landed on the ground further away while Dracon and Seph unleashed a full barrage of beams and explosive feathers.

The combined barrage did do some damage, but not as much as they had hoped.

Dracon made to speed in, his wings arching as he fired off a second barrage from his fin funnels. "EAT THIS!" he roared.

The pinkish beams peppered the ground close to Badaxtra's left foot, only for the huge beast to roar and whipped its left hand out, slamming into the Gundam's frame and sending him flying back from the impact. Dracon cried out as he was sent barreling through the air, only to slam into the side of a nearby rock face with enough force to leave a dent. He groaned as he struggled to get out of the crater he had made, only for his optics to widen as he heard - faintly - an unfamiliar voice. He couldn't make out what it was saying, and he couldn't even tell if it was male or female. In fact, it was too far to even discern the gender; it also didn't help much he was in the middle of a major battle.

What he did know though was that someone else was there. He finally pushed himself out of the crater and landed on the ground, his fin funnels coming back to hover by his side. He never felt as grateful as now for the fact they were hooked into his frame wirelessly. Dracon flared his wings and crouched, speeding up back into the fray just as he his sensors registered an incoming blast of energy. He looked back, and his optics widened in shock at seeing this... all he could say was that the blast of energy resembled a V-fin, similar to his own, but different as well.

The energy attack - if it could be called that - struck Badaxtra as it made to attack the seal yet again. The V-shaped energy beam hit near Badaxtra's left nostril and near its eye, making it roar in pain and agony. Dracon seized his chance and sped in, his shield's mega cannon beginning to charge as he aimed it. Normally he would've forgotten he had such a weapon. But this time, he had remembered he had it. The bluish-white energy blast charged up before firing out the barrel hidden within the shield, and it struck the same spot where Badaxtra had been nailed by that attack. Badaxtra roared again before seeming to perk up and it spun on the spot, finding the source of whatever had attacked it from the side, Dracon guessed. Then...

The last thing he expected was to see Badaxtra fire off _lasers_ from its eyes, right in that direction!

"Oh...Glob...!" he whispered, his reactor sinking. "I was hoping that was just a myth...!"

But for the _Shinkalions_, they were just as terrified, if not more so.

Esebu, for his part, was surprised he was remaining as calm as he was, given the situation.

He turned his gaze back to Badaxtra just as it fired off a few more blasts from its eyeballs, trying to hit something in that direction. He didn't know what it was attacking, but this was their chance!

He snapped his gaze to Fumikiri off to the side alongside Matagi, then to Efu and Haifu as they stood close together near the seal's entrance. Dani was hovering close to Badaxtra's head, intangible and invisible, while Seph let loose a flurry of those explosive feathers from his wings. Dracon hovered nearby, his wings splayed wide open, his fin funnels positoned around him to attack.

The lead _Shinkalion_ smirked to himself in his thoughts. He had a perfect idea as to how to drive Badaxtra off, if at all possible. But it all hinged on whether Dani had any really special moves she kept in reserve. If at all.

But before he had a chance to speak, Badaxtra sneered and whipped its body around, one massive hand coming out to try and smash Seph into the side of Mount Fuji. The hybrid swore in an ancient tongue he had no idea on how to speak or understand as he dodged, but barely. His eyes flashed silver and he held out a hand, unleashing a fierce telekinetic blast from his oiutstretched arm. The blast slammed into Badaxtra full force, making the First Kaiju stagger back under its force.

Esebu finally growled. "Okay! Time to end this!" he growled.

"I don't think it'll be that simple!" Dracon exclaimed as he flew over. "This thing is unbelievably strong!"

"I know," Esebu remarked as he swept his glowing green optics over the fight. "But we have to do something, or else the seal will be broken!"

Badaxtra swiped with its massive hand as the barriers around the seal's pillar tower pulsed, sending out an energy wave that made it stagger back. A loud roar escaped it, almost like a person screaming, as it tried to regain its balance. The beast regained its balance and looked up, red eyes flashing, as it grasped a nearby boulder and heaved it over its head, throwing it right for the seal!

"NO!" Dani shrieked as she flew down, becoming tangible and summoning forth a glowing orb of greenish-white energy.

Beside her, Seph hovered down, holding out his own hands and calling forth a silvery blast of energy. Both fighters fired, sending their energy beams right for Badaxtra. The two blasts combined, becoming a silvery beam laced with greenish electricity as they streaked towards the First Kaiju, slamming into its chest and forcing it back under the sheer power. Dracon seized his chance and flared his thrusters, speeding in as his beam tonfas flipped forward. His fin funnels reattached to his wings as his Dracon fang funnels detatched from his shield and latched onto his forearms, their blades merging with his tonfas to summon his Psycho Dracon Blades.

The Gundam let out a roar as he swiped with them, slashing right across Badaxtra's wounded cheek, earning a loud howl from the beast as it reared back in agony. The smaller mecha flipped back as KendoGarurumon landed atop one of the turrets, opening his mouth and letting loose a blast of silvery white energy from within his throat. "_LUPINE LASER!_" The blast struck Badaxtra again, once more on the same spot, and the First Kaiju's regeneration powers kicked in, healing the wound, but not to an extent like they had been expecting...!

An idea sprang into Esebu's processor as he got on the COMM to his teammates. "_Guys! I just had an idea!_" he exclaimed.

"_Does it have to do with the weakening of Badaxtra's regeneration powers?_" Nozoma asked.

Esebu nodded. "_Yeah. I think that its powers of regeneration can only be used so many times... or they were drained considerably from being sealed away for so long!_" he remarked.

Matagi's helm snapped up at the realization. "_I think I see where this story is headed!_" he stated. "_If we're to strike at where Dracon hit...!_"

But Esebu shook his helm. "_No, Matagi. We have to target another location. And I have an idea as to where..._" His gaze landed on the First Kaiju's chest as it rubbed at the spot where the Beast Warrior of Light had hit it.

"_But we don't know if Badaxtra has a core or not!_" Haifu protested.

"_I get that!_" Esebu shot back. "_But I'm not looking for a core! We gotta injure this thing enough to withdraw and leave the seals alone! As it stands, we don't know how much more the seal can take..._"

Haifu was silent. But Efu spoke up next. "_I take it we'll have to use our special moves then?_" he asked.

Esebu nodded. "_Yeah. And no holding back!_"

He turned to look at Fumikiri. "_Fumikiri. Can you try and distract Badaxtra long enough for all of us to attack?_"

The ninja _Shinkalion_ didn't even need to answer. He raised his hands and after forming a hand sign, disappeared in a puff of smoke. Esebu nodded once as he turned to the others. "_Let's end this!_"

"HAI!"

As the _Shinkalions_ prepared to go on the offense, Dracon drove his Psycho Dracon Blades into one of Badaxtra's hands as it tried to grab him in its grasp, earning a howl of agony from the beast itself. That was Seph's cue to clench his hands and unleash a massive blazing silver beam that gouged a gash out of Badaxtra's left shoulder. Dani squeezed her eyes shut, and after some intense focusing, she opened her mouth, and unleashed an unearthly scream with visible greenish white shockwaves that struck Badaxtra dead on, making it cover its ears in pain. That allowed KendoGarurumon to unleash his Lupine Laser a second time, striking the First Kaiju in the gut. Badaxtra staggered back, its hands flying for its stomach.

Fumikiri appeared above the beast in a puff of smoke, his shuriken held at the ready. He flicked it and the Dust dispensers along the sides opened, expelling wind Dust to boost its cutting capacity. He twisted his frame and threw the shuriken as hard as he could, sending it arrowing right for Badaxtra's large tail. The blades cut through that thick skin, drawing black smoke to the surface. That was the cue for Nozoma and Haifu to attack.

Nozoma lunged in, his fist seething with Aura as he thrust it - and his energy blade - forward into one of Badaxtra's ankles. The First Kaiju roared from the blow's pain, allowing Haifu to jump in. Her sword flashed as she swiped at the other ankle, drawing more smoke to the surface. Esebu watched as Badaxtra staggered back from the seal even further, both ankles oozing thick black smoke. Badaxtra winced from the pain, and he saw his chance.

"NOW!" he shouted to Efu and Matagi.

The two _Shinkalions_ nodded.

Matagi held up his guns and flipped them into cannon mode, letting them land on his shoulder guards. Once they were securely attached, he clenched his fists, his Aura seething over his frame as he channeled it into his guns. His Aura shifted from tri-colored into a brilliant blazing red, the energy coalescing into the barrels of his weapons. He flipped down his Namahage Goggles over his optics, allowing him to target at the First Kaiju's chest. The targeting reticle danced in his vision before turning green, and he tensed his frame as he focused more of his power into his cannons. The pressure in his shoulders was building, and he finally released it. "**_FUMIKIRI BARRAGE!_**"

The blasts fired as one, arcing right for Badaxtra.

Efu clenched his own fists, letting his rage and resolve to defeat this beast flow into his chest. He could already feel the pressure starting to build and he let his frame act, sliding open the nose coupling cover to expose his chest cannon. His Aura was already surging around him, turning from tri-colored to a brilliant shining green as it began to focus into his cannon. He wasn't about to let this thing harm his friends, let alone his family, and nor was he about to let its master win this one! Not since the seals were the only thing keeping the Grimm from rampaging! And he was definitely not about to let his mother have died in vain! His Aura began to shimmer, and then it changed from a mere green color into a shimmering, shining gold, like that of the sun. A loud cry escaped his vocalizer as he channeled more power into his cannon. The pressure was nearing critical, and he finally let it loose with a mighty roar. "**_GRAN CROSS! MAXIMUM POWER!_**"

The blazing gold beam launched, arrowing in on the First Kaiju.

Esebu took his chance. He lunged in, his own Aura starting to stream off his frame and drill as he clenched his fingers around the grip. He pressed the trigger three times and the Dust dispensers slid open, the ice Dust spilling out in a wave of light blue particles. His drill spun up to full power as the icy sheen overtook it. His Aura started to change from its tri-colored hue to a brilliant shimmering blue. Esebu channeled his Aura into his weapon, letting it stream off as he thrust his drill forward, becoming just a blur as he revved his treads. The _Shinkalion_ leader sprang off the ground, becoming a blue arrow as he melded his own attack with those of his friends. He gripped his drill as his optics flared, and he let out a roar of his own. "**_WHEELSET KORI DRIVER!_**"

The three blasts of energy combined into one, becoming a golden-blue beam flanked by two smaller reddish-gold beams as they streaked for Badaxtra.

Badaxtra looked up, its red eyes widening as it saw the three beams coming its way. And Esebu's optics flashed a brilliant yellow-green.

"_TAKE THIS!_" he bellowed.

The screen suddenly seemed to split, showing the faces of Esebu, Matagi, and Efu, each glowing with blue, red, and gold Auras respectively. The three _Shinkalions_ then cried out, the name of their new combination attack echoing across the battle site. "**_RAIL CROSS IMPACT!_**" Their images then parted to show the beams becoming one, Esebu in the center of the attack, his drill spinning at maximum power.

The blasts struck the First Kaiju dead on.

A loud explosion erupted from the point of impact, forcing Dani, Seph, Dracon, and KendoGarurumon to shield themselves from it. Dracon threw his arms up, using his shield to protect his optics while Seph ducked behind his wings. Dani had to turn her head away and shield her eyes with an arm while KendoGarurumon hunched down to block the light from his own sensetive eyes.

Haifu winced as she shielded her optics with her sword. Nozoma ducked behind some rubble to avoid the blazing light of the explosion while Fumikiri turned away, ducking his head behind his shuriken.

And Badaxtra roared in agony.

The combined attacks were enough to not only force it back, but also to do some damage to its skin and chest. Badaxtra's hand flew for the wound, covering it as the Dark Substance oozed from it like so much blood. Smoke spilled out of the wound as well, but unlike normal Grimm, the First Kaiju didn't even weaken or vanish. Instead, it seemed to move more like blood than normal smoke. Badaxtra glanced up, one eye burning red as the three _Shinkalions_ landed in front of the seal, their Auras seething across their frames like mystical fires. Esebu pointed his drill at the Kaiju, his optics flaring. "So... ready to try again?" he asked.

Badaxtra lowered its head, about to charge, only to pause.

* * *

'_Badaxtra. Cease for now. They clearly have the upper hand. And the defenses on the remaining seals have been activated. You shall be rewarded for your efforts in breaking the rest. __Return for rest at once._'

* * *

The First Kaiju growled, but relented to its master's wishes. It looked to the six _Shinkalions_ and their allies.

And then it actually spoke.

"Shin...ka...lions..." it growled.

Everyone gasped and paused, looking at the beast as its eyes flared. "We...shall...meet...again...!"

Then the First Kaiju opened its mouth, thick black smoke pouring out. Exclamations filled the air as they covered their faces and mouths to prevent themselves from inhaling the stuff. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished...

And with it, Badaxtra.

Esebu looked up, his optics picking out the large shape as it made its way towards the coast.

Haifu was the first to join the leader, landing atop one of the rocks surrounding the seal pillar tower, her left shoulder sparking. Fumikiri appeared as if by magic, crouching on the ground, scuffs and scrapes on his armor. Matagi landed close by to Haifu, his guns still perched atop his shoulder guards ans one of his legs with a slight limp to it. Efu, who was barely conscious, was helped by Nozoma who was the worst out of the six, with dents and dings all across his armor. Esebu himself wasn't damaged too badly, but he did have some scuffs across his chest and arms, his command fin dented slightly.

He cast his gaze up at the mountaintop, which was now just a gaping hole. A faint bit of blackness could be seen curling up from it, and he knew what that was. "We may have scored a victory, but in reality, it was a draw. We won only because he wasn't strong enough to defeat us. So, if he comes back... who knows what the outcome will be?" he murmured.


	29. DAWN

To say it was a victory was an understatement.

It was a draw, not a victory.

But, in the aftermath of the Battle of Mount Fuji, as the fight was now becoming known, there had been a surprising boost to morale for the country. To Prime Minister Sanban, that was something he had been hoping for since the whole project had begun. However, it was nowhere near what he had been expecting.

He tented his fingers in front of his mouth as he observed the six teens, watching them from within his office on his computer monitor.

They had done something no one had expected to do. And now the country was starting to take notice. In all honesty, it was a reminder of how much needed to be done to regain the sense of hope they had once had. His countrymen were now more jaded and cynical, and had not had a taste of real hope for the last millennium. Badaxtra had been the catalyst for that downslide, and even now, the Kaiju was a potent symbol of fear and terror unlike any other. And truthfully, he couldn't blame the kids for being scared.

Anyone would be scared if they faced down the First Kaiju. But these kids had done so, and came out on top, but at a cost.

Now with the seals around the Pool of Darkness weakened, it was only a matter of time before someone came and broke the rest of them, despite the defenses now being active and operational. With the kinds of people this world had, it wasn't that far of a stretch to fear the worst. His gaze drifted over to a recent photo his wife had sent him of Dani and their two daughters having fun in the training yard, and a smile graced his lips. If anything, that fight had shown him that Dani did have potential to be a great Huntress. Maybe not right up there with the best of the best right off the bat, but she had potential to claw her way to the top.

Kani shifted in his seat before he turned off the monitor, letting the kids have their privacy.

He had other stuff to work on, anyway.

* * *

**(**_Shows a pair of eyes opening before the eyes morph into optics_**)**

**START Kaitei no Orchestra (Precious Time) (ROMI)**

**(**_The optics flash as the camera pans out to show six shadowy mecha before they leap towards the camera, brandishing their weapons_**)**

**Hiroi aoi kono basho de tokiga nagarete yuku my precious time (**_The image fades to show a cat Faunus boy with brown hair and magenta eyes walking down a street close to the ocean, looking down at an image of his mother in his hand. He perks up as he spots a rabbit Faunus girl with light green hair and eyes hugs him, making him yelp. A boy with brown hair and brown eyes joins the girl on the cat Faunus's other side, and gives a thumbs up. A boy with dark purple hair and eyes approaches from the left and smiles a bit before a ninja youth leaps down on the right, his dark grey hair and purple eyes standing out with the purple highlight on the right side of his bangs. The five look up at the sky as a shimmering image of a cheetah Faunus with blue hair and eyes appears behind them. The title appears below them all._**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

**Itsu no manika kiete shimatte kakegaeno koega (**_The image fades to show the cat Faunus standing beside his mother's grave, his eyes fixed on her name_**)**

**Tsumaranai hibimo sorega sukide ikitetanda (**_Memories of her and his family march past as he bows his head_**)**

**Higa sashiteru tokomade omoikkiri hashitte (**_A wind blows past and he perks up as he sees something ahead of him, making him break into a run to try and reach the shadowy, winged humanoid shape as it looks back with yellow optics, holding out a hand_**)**

**Shinjirarenai koto bakari menomaeni okiru (**_The two embrace hands and then a flash of light engulfs the screen, fading to show a large Kaiju-class Grimm being attacked by a blue and white mecha wielding a drill before the two clash_**)**

**Taiyou no hou wo miagate tachiagaruno tsurakute (**_The impact throws off a light that engulfs the screen, dissipating to show the cat Faunus, but battered and wounded, looking at the sky, the sun shining down on him as he reaches up a hand, as if grasping at it_**)**

**Susumu koto dake omouto (**_He tries to stagger to his feet, only to collapse briefly before he lifts his gaze, a yellow optic forming in place of his eye as it glows brightly_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo tsuzukeru kawatta me no okuniwa (**_The light of the optic fades as the camera moves out to show a green and white mecha armed with a sword and wings on its back attacking a porcupine Kaiju-class Grimm in close combat, only for the Kaiju to fire off a slew of spines from its legs and back, making the mecha block with a shimmering tri-colored Aura_**)**

**Natsukashii itoshisa wo motomete (On my way) (**_Behind the mecha appears an image of a cat Faunus woman, and the mecha lunges forward, its sword glowing as it traps the Grimm in an energy cage before slicing it in half_**)**

**Kizutsuke attanowa nikui wake janai nosa (**_The Grimm explodes before a Faunus Ultra gorilla lunges from behind, making the mecha spin to block with its sword, images of a peaceful world appearing behind it before punching the Faunus Ultra and sending it staggering back_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga arunonara my precious time (**_The images coalesce around the mecha's chest as it fires a blast of green energy from a hidden chest cannon at the screen_**)**

**Itsukaraka onaji keshikini kakomarete sugoshite (**_The screen comes back into view, this time showing the cat Faunus as he stands atop a building in Tokyo, his friends beside him as they eye the distant horizon, a shadowy shape behind Mt. Fuji in the distance_**)**

**Akinonai koega sukoshizutsu chiri hajimeta (**_The boy looks down at an image of his mother in his hands, his friends placing their hands on his shoulders to comfort him as tears streak down his cheeks_**)**

**Ameni utareta mamade omoku seouno tsurakute (**_The camera zooms in on his eyes before panning out to show him looking at the window, the same green and white mecha on the other side, both touching their hands to one another before it shifts to show the cat Faunus's mother as a transparent image behind the mecha_**)**

**Ushinau koto dake omouto (**_The camera zooms in on the mecha's face before panning out to show two Faunus, a fox woman and a bull man, standing atop a hotel in downtown Tokyo_**)**

**Togirenai omoino nakade hisshi ni tsukamunosa (**_The two Faunus lunge for the mecha, only to be blocked by a red and white mecha with two guns and a purple and white mecha wielding two shuriken in its hands Beside them is a white and green mecha armed with a sword and the blue and white mecha with the drill is close by_**)**

**Dokomademo dokomademo sagasunda (Find your way) (**_The five mecha charge towards a large shape as it looms out of the shadows of the two Faunus, and behind them is the shape of a white and blue mecha armed with twin energy blades_**)**

**Otagaini motomeatte kakera wo tsunagunosa (**_Shows the six mecha as they stand in a line, each of them holding their weapons at the ready before they charge forward; the green and white mecha fires off its chest cannon as the blue and white mecha spins its drill up, a blue aura engulfing it, the red and white mecha fires its twin guns in a rifle configuration as the purple and white mecha uses its shuriken as weapons, the white and green mecha swings its sword as heat radiates from the blade and the white and blue mecha swipes with its energy blades, releasing a shockwave_**)**

**Sokoni kibouga mierukara wow oh wow (**_The blasts combine to generate an explosion as it hits something before the smoke parts to reveal a scenic image of the city of Tokyo, the tendrils of Satyra retreating from it_**)**

**Kimiga tsukutta monogatari saikou no omoide ni nattanda (**_The image shifts to show the cat Faunus looking down at a photo album of his mother and his friends and family, tears pricking at his eyes before he sees his friends beside him and they hold out their hands, a smile crossing his face as he takes their hands and they pull him out of the darkness into the light_**)**

**Bokurano nakani ikitsuzukete soshite arigatou wow (**_They all hug before a flash of light envelops them, fading shortly after to reveal the six mecha, this time images of the six kids behind them as they charge at a shadowy shape as it looms over them_**)**

**Setsunai tabiwo owarasunda miraiwo kaete tsukuruno sa (**_The image pans to the right to show them all charging, this time transparent scenes of new enemies marching past them - Dr. Robotnik, Sammael, and Moloch - before fading to show the city of Tokyo at sunset, a light shining in this darkening world_**)**

**Istumademo akiramezuni oistuzukete (On my way) (**_The green and white mecha with the wings thrusts its hand out towards an image of the cat Faunus's mother as she reaches out, and their hands clasp before it shows the green and white mecha firing off its chest cannon, the beam this time a shining gold color_**)**

**Tashikani kanjitanda kimiga kureta yuuki wo (**_The blast strikes the enemy before them - Dr. Robotnik - before it shows the mecha with its companions as they join in on the attack with their own moves_**)**

**Bokuno subete wo gisei ni torimodosunda bokurano precious time (**_The image fades to show the six kids standing in front of Tokyo, the title of the series appearing below them_**)**

**GRIMMFALL: SHINKALION RISING**

* * *

**_OPENING FILES:_**

**_CLASSIFIED_**

**_DECRYPTING..._**

**_FILES DECRYPTED_**

**_OPENING FILES: PROJECT SHINKALION_**

_Project SHINKALION is a top secret military project enacted by the Japanese government's Ministry of Defense and the Shinkansen Defense Institute and backed by Sanban Industries. The goal of the project is fourfold:_

_1\. To provide hope to the people of Japan._

_2\. To defend against the Kaiju-class Grimm._

_3\. To protect any potential recruits from Satyra._

_4\. To help find the Emperor's Sword._

_The first two goals are the primary and official reason for the project's existence and operation. Due to the loss of the Emperor's Sword a thousand years ago, the people of Japan have fished around for symbols of hope to cling to, but most were fleeting or offered a false sense of hope. Project SHINKALION as devised to provide a real sense of hope for the first time in over one thousand years, not just for Japan, but for the world as a whole._

_The third goal was an unintended side effect of the project, as Director Hokuto Hayasugi's son, Hayato, was targeted by Satyra for recruitment due to reasons unknown. The project provides a means of protection for Hayato, seeing as how he's now bonded to a machine, the very mechanical nature of the unit he's bound to will make him immune to brainwashing Semblances. It has proven effective thus far, and will continue to do so for the rest of his life._

_The fourth and final goal of the project was devised by Prime Minister Sanban himself. As a condition to request top-secret military equipment for use in the _Shinkalion_ frames, the project had to also be used to help find any trace as to the location of the Emperor's Sword. The director agreed to the proposal. Officially, there is no fourth goal. But unofficially, there is. This one is the most secretive goal of them all, so secret no one else, not even the Imperial Family, knows about it._

_However, there is speculation that there is a _fifth_ goal to the project..._

**_CLOSING FILES_**

**_TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE_**

* * *

"Plans are good to think about. But sometimes things get thrown out of whack with them." Izumi closed down the file and turned to face the audience. "Like the Battle of Mount Fuji. While it was not a victory, it was not a loss, either. A draw is an outcome in which neither side wins, nor loses. But in effect, is a draw worse than a win or a loss? Some would say it is worse, others may say it's better than the alternative. However, what if one's plans don't account for that outcome?"

He looked at the screen and a smile graced his lips. "Well, then we just have to adapt. After all, it's how you react that can truly determine an outcome's likeliness. As well as what it can be. So think wisely before you act. Because actions can have lasting consequences. Especially at the national level."

* * *

**CHAPTER XXVIII - DAWN**

"_...been three weeks since the Battle of Mount Fuji ended with the destruction of four of the eleven seals keeping the Pool of Darkness contained. The government has ordered that any and all people near Mount Fuji be evacuated to the city of Tokyo itself for their own safety, except for the essential personnel within the mountain observation station of Fuji._"

Tsuranuki crossed his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his chair as the group sat in the living room, a pen in his mouth as he chewed on the end thoughtfully. Beside him sat Hayato, doing his homework - and doodling images of the _shinkansen_ in the margins of his notes. The boy smirked a bit at that before he directed his attention to where Akita sat not too far off, cleaning his guns. He held one up and inspected it before he set it aside and grasped the other one to give it the same treatment. Shinobu sat cross legged in meditation while Miku nibbled on a riceball, her eyes locked onto the screen of the TV.

"_Due to the critical efforts of several brave Hunters, along with those six alien robots, the seals were kept safe and the First Kaiju was actually defeated for the first time. Many people have begun to see this as a symbol of hope, but others have stated that it could be a false or fleeting hope when compared to the Emperor's Sword. Regardless, this first defeat of Badaxtra has led to a boost in national morale, something that has been sorely needed in these turbulent times._" The news channel flickered, the news caster fading away to show their _Shinkalion_ selves in battle, alongside Dracon, Dani, Seph, and the Blazing Light. Tsuranuki spat the pen out of his mouth and caught it.

"Hard to believe..." he muttered, balancing it on one finger before resuming his own school work.

"What? That we actually held our own against the First Kaiju?" Akita asked.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I mean... I'm still shocked by it, honestly."

"Well, no one else aside from the Emperor has managed to do that," Miku noted as she held up the remote, shutting off the TV a few seconds later.

"But we did as well," Hayato remarked.

Tsuranuki nodded as he reached behind his back, scratching.

"Does it still itch?" Miku asked as she noticed.

The boy nodded as he rubbed his back, right between his shoulder blades. "Yeah. Stupid thing!"

"You'd better not, Tsuranuki," the rabbit Faunus cautioned as she reached over and lifted up his shirt.

There, right in the middle of his shoulder blades, a small scar stood out. It was the last remnant of his recent surgery to have the LinkNode implanted into his back. The second stage, it had been decided, was to be implemented as soon as possible, and Tsuranuki had been the first one to undergo the procedure. Normally it would've taken weeks, months even, for him to heal from such a procedure, but one of the surgeons on the team possessed a recovery Semblance that allowed him to accelerate the body's natural healing processes, ensuring that the recovery time was swift and painless. It also meant that Tsuranuki was allowed to go home after a mere five and a half days of recovery in the hospital.

The boy had yet to test it out, though, seeing as how he still had to get used to the small pulses it gave off on occasion.

That, and the thing itched whenever he moved sometimes.

Miku extended a hand and began to rub the spot, easing the itching sensation in his muscles. Tsuranuki sighed in relief. "Just how much longer until it stops itching?" he asked.

The rabbit Faunus shrugged. "I can only go based on what the doctor said. It should stop itching within a week at best."

The boy shook his head as he looked back out, his gaze landing on the sight of the Marunouchi District not too far from his family's home.

Hayato finally glanced up from his homework. "So, what's going to happen now?" he asked.

Tsuranuki shrugged. "Not sure," he admitted. "But the frames are currently being repaired, so we're out of duty for a while."

"And just as well," Akita noted as he set his second gun aside. "We still have much to learn in regards to those frames."

The brown-haired youth pursed his lips as Miku stopped her rubbing. The itching sensation had faded, but he knew it would come back within a day or two. It usually did. He pulled his shirt down and finally sat up straighter, eyeing the site of their recent confrontation with Badaxtra. Or rather the direction of the site.

"We just got lucky," he muttered. "Mostly in that Badaxtra was weakened... Had that thing been stronger..." Tsuranuki shuddered as he drew his arms close to his chest and rubbed them. "We'd be dead by now..."

The others all knew what he meant and they nodded. Shinobu opened his eyes and looked at Tsuranuki out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe, but you have to consider that perhaps Badaxtra's weakness was not just from being sealed. Perhaps its regenerative powers sapped a large portion of its strength to keep its muscles from being wasted."

Akita perked up at that. "Oh, yeah. Some recovery Semblances operate on the same principle, but it usually has a drawback or two," he admitted.

The ninja nodded. "Yes. I'm guessing that Badaxtra's powers were weakened because its body cannibalized its strength to keep itself from wasting away. So, while it was still formidable, it was still weakened from its powers cannibalizing itself."

"But now that it's been freed..." Tsuranuki gritted his teeth. "We'll have to be ready for when it comes back... at full power."

Miku placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Tsuranuki, we'll deal with that when the time comes," she said. "Right now, we're supposed to take it easy, remember?"

Tsuranuki nodded. "Yeah. Sorry," he muttered. "Still trying to process what we actually did..."

The kids fell silent as they resumed their activities. Tsuranuki took the chance to delve back into his own homework, his eyes narrowed as he started to work. As he started to list out the calculations for a math problem, he could only think about what the future held now.

Project SHINKALION was now in its second stage. And his friends were to soon get the LinkNode implanted, much like he had. The LinkPods were to be shut down and slowly dismantled over the course of the next several months, and on top of that, due to the heatwave having left large swathes of Japan's countryside in drought during that so-called Eternal Night, there was much that needed to be done to try and get it back up and running. So the team, once their _Shinkalion_ frames were repaired, were to transport goods and much needed supplies to the farmers and smaller communities via rail. Not only to bolster morale, but also to show that they were going to one day be the protectors of Japan. Not that they already weren't, but it still made sense to expose the so-called 'aliens' to the countryside, to try and 'get them acclimated to the differing terrain of the country', or so the cover story went.

But there was also the matter of some of the recent investigations underway. Mostly into how they even came to this world.

The SDI was going to have a field day with trying to explain the lack of an ancient ship. It wasn't like they could just create one and age it rapidly within a few weeks or months.

That was _way_ beyond their capabilities.

At this rate, all they could do was hope for something to happen to help make their story plausible, if not more believable.

He finally stopped his work and looked out the window as the sun began to set beyond the horizon. "Man... I wonder if people even noticed that battle on the SkyWeb..." he mused.

"It seems likely," Miku admitted as she pulled out her phone, bringing up a search engine and keying in the search terms. Within minutes up came video of the fight, including the one with the Hydra Grimm.

Hayato shivered at the memory of that fight. Tsuranuki couldn't help but feel a bit concerned for his friend as a result. "Hayato... what happened back then wasn't your fault."

"I know... but I still can't get over what I nearly did to you guys..." the cat Faunus whimpered.

Miku set her phone down and slipped closer to the Faunus boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. We won that one. So it won't happen again, especially since you learned a crucial lesson that day."

Hayato nodded, but guilt still invaded his features as he turned his focus back to his homework. His pencil started doodling a few minutes in, though, this time of their _Shinkalion_ frames.

Tsuranuki turned back to the TV and snatched the remote from Miku, earning a surprised yelp from the rabbit Faunus. "Hey!"

He turned it back on to the news station, and his eyes widened as he spotted the headlines scrolling across the screen.

_POWERPUFF GIRL MISSING_

_BUTTERCUP MIA FROM TOWNSVILLE_

A sinking feeling formed in his stomach at that.

"Uh... that's bad news, right?" Hayato asked as he peered over Miku's shoulder.

Akita's eyes locked onto the news feed and his mouth formed into a thin line. "That's bad all right..." he muttered.

Shinobu peeked around Akita and his eyes widened a bit. "Sure 'nuff..." he whispered.

Miku, on the other hand, was silent as her hands were covering her mouth.

"What in the name of Glob caused one of Townsville's heroines to go missing?" she asked in a soft tone of voice.

Tsuranuki had no idea. "Honestly, I have no idea..." he murmured.

The kids had heard numerous good things about the Powerpuff Girls and their exploits in Townsville located not too far from Japan. The island of Little Tokyo was something of an oddity as it was within Japan's waters, but was considered its own island with its own government and self sufficient economy. In fact, it was like its own micronation. But in reality, it was, Tsuranuki figured, the Japanese equivalent of a commonwealth state. Not a part of the country, but not its own nation.

But to hear that one of the city's defenders was missing? That was very bad news indeed.

A loud buzzing came from Tsuranuki's pants pocket and he looked at it before pulling out his phone. He tapped the call button, and instead of someone picking up, a text message popped up. Well, two, actually. One from his mother... and one from Director Hayasugi.

He swiped his phone's screen and up came the messages. Tsuranuki peered at the top one as his friends looked at him. "What's up?" Hayato asked.

"It's a message from the SDI," the boy said. "It's a mission."

"For all of us?" Shinobu asked. "Because if so, then we're going to have a problem as most of us don't have the LinkNode yet."

The boy handed his phone to the ninja. "See for yourself."

Shinobu took Tsuranuki's phone and read over the message.

_To: Tsuranuki Daimonyama_

_From: Director Hayasugi_

_As of recently, some strange events have been taking place within Townsville. As you know, Townsville is located on the island of Little Tokyo not too far from mainland Japan. The city itself is one of three major settlements on the island, and it is one of the best known. Not for its Hunters because it lacks permanent Hunter teams on station there. No. It's well known for the three beacons of light that shine in that darkened tunnel. Those three beacons are three powerful heroines that have been making a name for themselves as of late. They are known as the Powerpuff Girls, and they have become a sight of hope in Townsville._

_However..._

_I'm not sure if you know of the myth of Pleasure Island, but according to rumors, the island itself is real, or rather, was real. Its fate is unknown, but some kids that were rescued from the island described a battle between a reptile Mobian and the Powerpuff Girl known as Buttercup Utonium, as well as a gang of criminals from Townsville known as the Gangreen Gang. Now, bear in mind, this is only survivor testimony, so it's considered somewhat unreliable. But recent evidence has led me to think that maybe this survivor testimony has some truth to it. And interestingly, all the stories the kids told are basically the same._

_That brings me to the mission I've assigned you._

_As the first of the Drivers who has the LinkNode, you are being sent to Townsville to bolster the ranks of the Powerpuff Girls until Buttercup can be found and brought back to her home. I've already arranged for you to be sent to Townsville's main school where the Powerpuffs go as part of an exchange program. You will be rooming with the Utonium family for a while, so I expect you to be on high alert and be careful. Your _shinkansen_ will be sent to the city as well, seeing as how you need to be close to it in order to engage LinkUp. I expect you to keep yourself hidden and separated from your alias as Esebu. The last thing we need is for one of the local supervillains to get wind of what you can do... and of the tech we got in play here._

_Director Hayasugi_

_Shinkansen Defense Institute_

The boy was in shock as he handed the phone back to his friend.

"You're really going to Townsville?" he asked.

Tsuranuki nodded. "Yeah." He brought up another message on his phone, the one from his mother. "And it's just as well that Mom is going to the city to help open a branch of the company there, seeing as how the battles usually leave collateral damage behind."

It was not only a smart business move, but it gave him a legitimate excuse to carry out the mission as well.

"How long will you be gone?" Miku asked with worry in her eyes.

Tsuranuki checked the message. "About... six months, if not less, depending on how things go," he said. He shut down his phone after he sent her and the director a quick text, saying only one word. _Understood._

Once that was done, he put the phone in his pocket and leaned back, his hands lacing themselves behind his head.

"I just hope you guys will be all right without me," he murmured.

Akita looked to Tsuranuki. "We'll be fine," he assured the other boy. "But if we aren't, you'll know."

Tsuranuki glanced at Akita and smiled. "Thanks," he said.

The boy returned it.

Of course, things were going to get very interesting during his time in Townsville...

* * *

**TOKYO STATION**

**TWO WEEKS LATER...**

* * *

Tsuranuki stood next to his mother and younger siblings as they waited for the _shinkansen_ to arrive. Beside him stood his friends, each of them having decided to stop by and see him off. After all, they were now _Shinkalion_, and as such, they wished to see one of their own off on his first solo mission.

The boy gripped his suitcase, his phone held in his other hand, his backpack strapped to his back. He gulped a bit nervously. Truthfully, this was his first time actually being out of Japan for an extended period of time, not like the last few times he had been out with his family during business trips. So he was actually pretty nervous. He had no idea if anyone outside of Japan even knew of the _Shinkalions_ since the defeat of Badaxtra a little over a month ago. So, it was important to keep that part quiet.

Hayato glanced to his friend. "Hey, we'll be fine," he said with a grin.

Tsuranuki merely nodded as he looked up. He could faintly hear it, but it was there. A train horn.

He turned to the cat Faunus and set his suitcase down before grabbing him by the front of his shirt and pulling him close into a hug. "Be careful, Hayato," he murmured.

Hayato was surprised, but then he returned the hug regardless. "Thanks... for coming to my rescue," he said.

Tsuranuki pulled back and held out a hand, allowing Hayato to grasp it. The cat Faunus returned the handshake.

The others all smiled as the _shinkansen_ pulled into the station, coming to a stop close by.

The E7 was already linked up to it.

Mizusu grabbed her son's hand and Tsuranuki grabbed his suitcase in his free hand as he was taken to the train. "Bye, guys!" he called. "I'll let ya know when I get there!"

The other four Drivers proceeded to wave as the family got on the _shinkansen_. Once the door was shut and all passengers were on board, Tsuranuki placed his hands on the glass and waved, watching as they waved back, slowly receding into the distance as they ran after, calling out to him and wishing him luck, he assumed.

He sighed as he pulled his backpack off his back, setting it down and opening it. He reached in and pulled out a small notebook and pen. He opened it and stuck the end of the pen in his mouth, trying to think about how to begin.

Tsuranuki perked up as an idea came to him.

"_Yeah, it's hard to believe... but it all really happened. What happened, you ask? Well... this is the story of how me and my friends started out on a journey... a journey that led to the rise of hope again in over one thousand years... for the entire world..._"

* * *

_Space and time began to shift._

_A set of optics gazed at the world before him, screens flickering and many other futures being shown._

_But out of all of them, one stood out._

_Lines of darkness encompassed it, creating a barricade that no one could breach._

_And above them all, hovered the red eyes of Sammael._

_Vector Prime, Keeper of Space and Time, watched with increasing concern._

_It seemed to him that no matter what they tried, Sammael was always anticipating and planning, trying to come up with ways to ensure it would never happen._

_That golden future. That was the one he was preventing from coming about. But the main question was... why? Why was he so dead set on preventing it from coming about?_

_And ever since the release of Badaxtra, the tangle of darkened lines only seemed to grow, becoming an ever increasing bramble of thorns and vines in front of a Garden of Eden._

_And yet..._

_His optics flickered as he raised a servo and touched one of the many gears of spacetime, running his digits along its surface. He could sense something was off. Like... like a great change had been made. Well, maybe not great, but it had the _potential_ to be great._

_The ancient Transformer closed his optics and let his focus guide him. He reached out and felt the touches of spacetime's many strings, following them through the ages until-_

_His essence bumped into something._

_Vector Prime didn't care to open optics, instead sensing himself in the darkened void of spacetime's inbetweens. He could sense the many walls of the differing futures around him, but they were permeable compared to this. He reached out a hand to touch it, only to find it wasn't so much a string as it felt strong and sturdy..._

_He could sense not a wavering, delicate strand of spacetime, but a hard, long object that ended abruptly. It seemed to be near his feet, instead of hovering in the middle of-_

_Wait._

_Vector Prime hesitated, but he finally dared to open his optics._

_Normally to do so meant that one would go mad. But Vector Prime, as the Keeper, had extensive privileges, one of which was the ability to actually see spacetime and not go mad. But he still closed his optics, as it was a habit of his. But when he opened them this time, he was greeted with not the intricate strands of differing futures and timelines, but a structure he had only seen in his observations throughout history._

_A train station._

_This one, however, seemed to be incomplete. And he was standing right near one of the rail tracks that abruptly ended out in the darkness._

_Vector Prime took the chance to look around the station, trying to even fathom how it had came into existence. He had expected to come across spacetime's strings, not a place like this. But where had it come from, and why?_

_Out of curiosity, Vector Prime wandered throughout the building, noticing through the windows that the dark brambles of the many bad futures were looming before the station. And within them, he could see the faint glowing orb of that bright future, looking like a small candle compared to a darkened storm swirling around it. Like it would be snuffed in an instant._

_His optics narrowed as he exited the station, only to be surprised that he was _not_ in the inbetweens of spacetime like he had assumed._

_It was like he was in a different version of the inbetween. He could see old buildings in the distance behind the station, and lying along the track that snaked back through those brambles were old steam trains, different vehicles, and all kinds of bodies, one of which was the human man known as Uncle Sam. And coming off of these vehicles, bodies, and buildings were those brambles._

_But here, this station was brand new. Like it had just been built recently, or was almost complete._

_And now, he could see that on the side of the station, at the main entrance, was a map. A map with several flashing icons... that looked like the visages of those robots he had seen._

_They each flashed, and above the map were several words: _Future Line Gold Under Construction_._

_And then it hit him._

_The Prime Minister had followed through._

_Vector Prime let out a small smile as he stepped back into the station, sitting down and letting his frame materialize inside around his essence._

_The line had been set._

_Now... it was all up to the kids to ensure its construction went unimpeded..._


	30. EPILOGUE

**SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE...**

The project was nearing completion.

He stood before the hulking humanoid figure displayed on the monitor as one of his servants entered his chambers.

"Yes?" he asked, not even batting an eye.

"My lord, the subject has been apprehended," the butler said with a bow. "The security teams are returning to the manor even as we speak."

He glanced over his shoulder at the man. "Excellent. And the subject is going to be brought to the hangar, yes?"

"Of course, my lord," the butler replied without even rising. "But there is the problem of the subject's parents. They will, as the commoners say, move heaven and hell to get it back."

He snorted. "As if. We do have connections to their government, do we not? If they want to get it back, their efforts will be thwarted." He held up his staff, examining the ornate head resting upon it. "After all, we can't let them get word of this out. Not since those commoners have begun to whisper of changes."

The butler nodded. "As always, you are correct, my lord." Then he paused, seeming to sense another presence.

"Ah. My Lady." The butler turned and bowed to the elegant woman as she seemed to drift into the spacious study.

"Thank you, Hans," the woman said as she adjusted her tiara. "I shall wish to spend time alone with my husband."

"As you wish, my lieges." The butler turned and strode out of the room, leaving the two alone.

The man turned to glance at the door as it closed behind his servant. His eyes narrowed before his wife swept over and cupped his hand in hers. "It is time, is it not?" she whispered.

A sneer crossed his face as he glanced over to where the elevator was.

"Yes... it is. The subject should be here within the hour," he said with a sinister chuckle.

The Lady of the House nodded. "Excellent..."

* * *

That evening, many people swore they heard screams coming from the manor overlooking the small village. Lights could be seen flashing in its subterranean windows, and rumors began to spread of ghosts, hauntings, and unearthly screams that overtook the manor at certain times of the week.

No one knew for sure what was happening, and that was just the way the inhabitants of the house wanted it. After all, as one of the more influential noble families within the Kingdom, it made sense that they wished to keep private matters of their House out of the public eye.

The only thing that many knew for certain was that something was happening in that elegant Rodiganian estate.

And they did not want to be a part of it...

Whatever it was...

* * *

**An ancient legacy is uncovered...**

**(**_Shows a pair of red optics coming online_**)**

**A new face is found...**

**(**_A robot staggers down a street, half mad with hunger and grief_**)**

**And a new threat looms on the horizon...**

**(**_Shows only two glowing red eyes amidst a bunch of trees_**)**

"No... friggin'... way! What is that thing?!"

**(**_Shows Team Shinkalion facing down a shadowy shape with antlers_**)**

**Team Shinkalion must now race against the clock...**

(_Shows Fumikiri attacking the shape with his shuriken while Nozoma creeps up on it_**)**

**To save a potential new ally from his demons...**

**(**_Shows Efu slugging the newcomer in the face_**)**

"Don't blame yourself! You didn't cause their demise!"

**(**_Matagi glares at the shadowy demonic shape in the trees_**)**

"You are sick! Twisted sick!"

"_Ah, yes. I do enjoy seeing others suffer... it makes my soul tingle with joy..._"

**(**_Shows Haifu attacking with her Turnstile Sword, only to unleash a brilliant orange energy wave instead_**)**

"Stay away from him!"

**(**_The shape dodges an attack from Efu's Gran Cross, but barely as it grits its teeth in pain_**)**

**Before they take him alive**

**(**_Shows Nozoma glaring at the Beast of Darkness_**)**

"If you even had a soul!"

**COMING SOON**

**GRIMMFALL SHINKALION: BULLET TO THE PAST**

**(**_Shows Railspike taking Matagi's hand_**)**

**LEARN FROM THE PAST, LEST YOU BE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT**

**COMING TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU THIS SUMMER**


End file.
